


The Fire Rises

by Lillie_Moreau



Category: Leverage
Genre: Angst, F/M, Family Drama, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-06
Updated: 2016-09-22
Packaged: 2018-04-19 10:20:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 23,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4742705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lillie_Moreau/pseuds/Lillie_Moreau
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>At some point the child always pays for the sins of their father.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Leverage or any of the characters but I do have a very deep love for them! I hope everyone enjoys my first Leverage story, even though it is a little different.

Chapter One

Lawrence Flores had always thought of Eliot Spencer as a strong and stable man. The determination in the man’s eyes at that very moment was proof of that. And yet Flores saw the uncertainty in his blue eyes. Eliot took in a deep breath and stared at the elevator doors that led down into The Tombs. He could feel Flores staring at him with great intensity and Eliot couldn’t help but smile. However, Eliot let out a heavy sigh.

“Are you sure you want to do this? I can personally assure you he isn’t going anywhere,” Flores said. Eliot only nodded once and finally managed to gather up the courage he needed.

“This is not about me making sure he stays in The Tombs. It is about information I think he may have. If my suspicions are correct, then my next meeting will be with President Vittori,” Eliot said, pressing the elevator button. Worry slowly etched itself into the former general’s face.

Without waiting for the man’s reply, Eliot stepped into the lift and let the heavy doors seal him in. Eliot knew that Flores was, if only slightly, worried about Eliot facing Damien Moreau. He knew just how dangerous Moreau was, but none of that mattered anymore. There was only one face he could see in his mind’s eye. It was not a member of his team and for once it was not the faces of his many victims. She was twelve years old now, she was scared and she was alone. The elevator jolted to a stop and Eliot’s head jerked up.

At the end of the corridor, Damien Moreau sat on his small cot. He wore a black prison uniform and his black hair hung tousled in his eyes. Damien made no move to look up. He continued to sit with his head bowed and hands tightly clasped together. When Eliot got closer to the cell, he could hear the older man was praying in Croatian. Eliot sank to his knees and wrapped his fingers around the bars of the cell. Moreau looked up but didn’t bother to put on a smile, nor did he bother with making any biting or snarky comments.

“I was wondering when you would come looking for answers Spencer, my friend,” Damien said. 

From under his pillow, Damien pulled out an envelope which he handed to the man in front of him. Eliot could feel himself grow cold as he opened the slip. There was a lock of slightly curled blonde hair tied up with a red ribbon. There a small square of paper. The typed font read: “catch me if you can.” Without warning, a tear slipped down Eliot’s cheek and a small cry left his mouth. He looked up and saw true sadness in Damien’s eyes.

“How did they find her and where did they grab her from?” Eliot asked. Moreau ran his fingers through his hair.

“She has been living in a convent in southern France. I have no idea how this person found her. The only way possible was someone was bought for a very high price. You killed most of the people who even knew about her in that warehouse,” Damien said. The last time he had been this scared, Damien had been a child out running his drunk and angry father. “Do you think you can bring her home safely?” There was a hard look in Eliot’s eyes.

“ _We_ , Damien. _We_ are going to bring her home safely. She is _our_ daughter. _We_ adopted her _together_ ,” Eliot growled. An evil glint sparkled in Damien’s eyes. Damien Moreau and his pit bull Eliot Spencer were going to scorch the earth looking for their precious Jaqueline.

“And how am I supposed to help with that? You and your little team made sure to take everything from me. And you personally took out my entire security team,” Damien said, clearly unable to let go of his anger no matter what his daughter’s situation was. Eliot could hear the man’s anger but knew it was not going to be a real problem. Damien was far from destitute and still had any number of friends in high places.

“You are going to have to find a way to let it go. Jaqueline needs both of us, as she always had. You have to be willing to trust me again or the next time I come to see you, I will be telling you we are burying our child! I know you, Damien and I know you wouldn’t survive the death of little Jaqueline,” Eliot said. Damien clenched his jaw but could feel the fear twisting in his stomach like a cobra. 

“Are you going to break me out or ask the president nicely?” Damien asked, refusing to admit that Eliot was right. Eliot shrugged before standing quickly.

“I thought I would ask nicely, appeal to both Flores’s and Vittori’s family mentality. However, if that doesn’t work I do have a team in place for an extraction. I’m not risking my baby’s life on politics. And if worse comes to worse, we will just steal you,” Eliot said. He tucked the envelope into his shirt.

At the mention of being stolen, Damien froze. He had been hoping the next time he saw Nathan Ford, he would be able to take his revenge. But, the time for revenge would be later.

“How on earth did you get that cute team of yours to help us out? I can’t imagine they were too pleased about learning all the new secrets of your life. Especially these new ones that just connect you to me even more,” Damien said. Anger and hurtful comments were the only Damien knew how to deal with true fear and Eliot was well aware of that face. So instead of taking the bait Eliot turned and headed back towards the elevator.

“Don’t go anywhere, Damien,” Eliot drawled over his shoulder.

When Eliot stepped out of the elevator, Flores felt a mixture of relief and worry. The meet between the two had been much faster than anyone had anticipated. Flores reached out to put a hand on Eliot’s shoulder but he jerked away. Putting himself on the side with Damien, even for his daughter, had brought up old wounds and bad memories. Every time Flores looked at him with sadness in his eyes, Eliot thought of the night he had been sent to kill Flores. The night that he had finally broken down, unable to kill, unable to carry out Damien’s will any longer. Eliot had never talked to anyone about the last night he spent working for Damien, but it had been one of the hardest of his life. There had been yelling, crying and even some physical blows had been exchanged. The worst part had been Jaqueline running after him through the villa, screaming for him to come back. It had broken his heart and he had nearly gone to kill Flores just to keep his small family together. However, he knew that Damien would continue to ask him to kill and he was too tired to continue on with the extreme violence.

While Damien had been cut deep to the core as well, he hadn’t wanted Eliot to miss out on Jaqueline’s life. Every so often, he had sent pictures to Eliot and Jaqueline sent a letter in whatever language she was learning at the time. Eliot had always sent back letters, trinkets and birthday cards to his little girl. He had also exchanged long letters with Damien, though they had only ever been of the personal sort. Eliot had never asked for his job back not had Eliot ever asked for help of any sort. In fact, Damien hadn’t laid eyes on Eliot until the day he showed up asking about the Ram’s Horn. Damien’s happiness had been genuine at seeing the man and once again, the man who held his favor had betrayed him. The betrayal, however, had come with a warning and at once, Damien had moved their little girl someplace he thought she would be safe.

Lawrence Flores watched as a million and one thoughts spun through Eliot’s head. Flores cleared his throat and Spencer looked apologetic for having zoned out. Eliot put on a tight smile. Flores knew the smile was fake, but he also knew better than to push the subject.

“Did you get the information you needed?” Flores asked. Eliot’s eyes darkened and the smile disappeared. 

“I need a meeting with you and Vittori as soon as possible. My team is here to sit in with us,” Eliot said. At Flores’s surprised look Eliot added, “I just work with Park and Hardison now. Sophie and Nate went into retirement not too long ago. Our two newest members are waiting with them at the hotel. We want to keep a low profile for as long as possible.” Eliot followed Flores back to the main part of the Parliament building. The further he got from The Tombs, he felt himself relax ever so slightly. Talking to Flores had always come naturally and Eliot made a mental note to do so more often.

“President Vittori is currently in a meeting but I can make sure you and your team got in afterwards. He should be done in an hour,” Flores said. “I’m glad to hear you are still with your team. You all seemed very good for each other.”

“They’ve become like family. I don’t know what I would do without them,” Eliot said. “Especially now. They may not understand but they will always support me.”

Flores led Eliot outside to a small café. He wanted to talk to the young man in private before going to see his president. No good could come of Damien Moreau’s involvement and Flores didn’t want to be caught off guard. They sat down and ordered coffees. Eliot was dreading the conversation but getting Flores on his side was essential for the whole plan to work.

“You want to know why we’re here and why I went to see Damien of my own free will,” Eliot whispered. 

“I just can’t bear the thought of you breaking down like when you left Moreau’s security. Even locked in The Tombs, he is a dangerous man that should be left alone,” Flores said. “I’m sure you have your reasons but before we involve Vittori I want to know what is going on. He is a pure soul and I want to keep it that way for as long as possible.” Eliot closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. He tried to push the nausea away, but to no avail. 

“My daughter is being used in a K & R job and I’m afraid she won’t make it out alive,” Eliot said.

“And what does Moreau have to do with it?” Flores asked, sorrow in his eyes and voice. Eliot knew the truth would shake Flores, just as it had shaken his team. Eliot sight for what felt like the thousandth time since he had arrived in San Lorenzo.

“She is Moreau’s daughter too.”


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

_Flashback  
Eliot bowed his head against the icy wind that blew through the streets of Moscow. It had been fairly mild weather until the last day of the job. Everything Damien had wanted done had been easy enough to complete since it had only been an enforcement job. Eliot hadn’t even killed anyone which had been somewhat of a relief for him. As he continued to make his way down various back alleyways, he heard a high pitched coughing sound. Frowning, Eliot looked around the alley until he saw a little blonde girl curled up between the wall and the dumpster. Eliot rushed over to her and knelt down in front of her. He felt his heart strings clench when he saw she was crying._

_“Kak vas zovut?” Eliot asked, his Russian accent not as good as some of his others._

_“Quoi? Je ne parle pas russe,” she whispered. Eliot’s worry only deepened. What was a little French girl doing all alone in a Russian alleyway?_

_“Est-ce que vous parlez anglais?” Eliot asked._

_“Yes,” she replied softly, shivering even harder. Eliot took off his coat and wrapped it around the little girl._

_“What is your name, darlin’?” Eliot asked._

_“Jaqueline,” she replied. “We were on holiday and my parents just left me. I don’t know why.” Eliot picked her up and rocked her back and forth. In one split second, he decided the girl was coming home with him. He would not be responsible for an innocent girl freezing to death. He didn’t know how Damien would react, but he didn’t care. The girl couldn’t be more than five years old and Eliot had hoped that one day he would have children of his own._

_“You are coming home with me,” Eliot said. The little girl snuggled her nose into Eliot’s neck. He smiled a little before hailing a cab that would take them to the private airstrip. He wasn’t going to risk Jaqueline’s health any further._

_Back in San Lorenzo, Damien stared at his laptop but wasn’t really seeing the email in front of him. Eliot had confirmed that he was on the jet which hopefully meant the job would not need to be taken care of again. Now that Eliot was on the way home, Damien was hopelessly distracted. He was distracted to the point he had sequestered himself in his private suite. Chapman had been the one to suggest Damien play sick until Eliot was home. The men became nervous and on edge when their charismatic leader seemed lost which usually made Damien even more likely to snap and kill one of them._

_Damien shut the computer before he lay down in the luxurious king size bed. His insomnia had become unbearable the past few months, and the only time he seemed to be able to sleep were during the brief naps when he should have been working out kinks in his trade routes. He had just started to drift off to sleep when someone knocked rather loudly at the door. Groaning, Damien sat up and raked his fingers through his hair._

_“What?” he all but yelled. When Chapman poked his head in, before letting himself all the way in the room, Damien hissed in utter annoyance. “Can I help you? Or have you just come to whine about the men who undermine your authority?” Chapman sucked in a sharp breath, but didn’t dare to talk back._

_“Actually, I just got notice from the pilot that they will be arriving in thirty minutes. Would you like to accompany me to the hanger to meet Spencer?” Chapman asked. Damien looked thoughtful for a few moments before deciding that sleep seemed like a better option._

_“Fetch Spencer yourself. Inform him that when he arrives back here at the villa to come to my suite. Now get out and tell the men that the next person to try to bother me will be shot,” Damien said. “And trust me when I say that I am very serious about that warning.” Sensing the danger in Moreau’s narrowing eyes, Chapman quickly abandoned the room. He hoped that Eliot was in a better mood than Damien, otherwise the car ride would be agonizing and unbearable. Chapman decided the best course of action would be to text Eliot. Their relationship was rock at best and Chapman figure being “fetched” would only make Spencer more hostile towards him. He shuddered at the thought of Eliot getting meaner._

_**Chapman: Do you need a ride back from the airstrip? Or would you prefer to take a cab back to the villa?** _

_Chapman hoped Eliot would appreciate the options. And if he didn’t, Chapman hoped that Eliot would get the underlying message that Moreau was having one of his moody days._

_**Eliot: I expect to see you here when I get off the jet. And bring a car seat with your car and make sure it is installed properly.** _

_**Chapman: A car seat? Like for a baby?** _

_**Eliot: Like for a five year old. How hard is that to understand? I know for a fact you aren’t actually stupid.** _

_**Chapman: You went to Russia for a week to straighten out a misunderstanding with the mafia. Where on earth did the five year old come from?** _

_**Eliot: You can help me figure out things when I see you. Now move your ass or you will be late in picking us up!**  
End of Flashback_

Flores stared at Eliot with his mouth hanging slightly agape. His mind was having a hard time comprehending what he had just heard. As far as he knew, no one had been aware that Damien Moreau had adopted a child with his head of security.

“Eliot, I don’t even know what to say. Does this mean everything the world knows about Moreau is wrong?” Flores asked. Eliot couldn’t help but snort in amusement.

“He is still a cold, heartless and cruel man who uses people to get the money and power he wants. But he is also a man of depth and he loves that little girl. Damien was always very proud of her but he kept everything secret to keep her safe. He said someone paid a lot of money to get to her,” Eliot said.

“I have a very painful question to ask you. Even if I get an answer I don’t want, I will still do everything I can to help bring Jaqueline back to you,” Flores said. Eliot’s eyes darkened once again. “Do you love him still?” Eliot swallowed hard.

“There will always be a part of me that loves him but if you’re asking if I would betray my family and friends for him, the answer is no,” Eliot said.

“Eliot, raising a child together is very emotional and no matter what the other has done, you will never be able to fully detach yourself from them. I’m not saying you would ever betray anyone but you need to be fully honest about your feelings. You don’t want to be caught off guard in the heat of the moment and slipping back into the man you worked so hard to get away from,” Flores said. Eliot let out a shaky breath and checked his watch.

“I have to go get my team,” Eliot whispered before he stood up to leave. He paused, looking truly hurt by the man’s words. “I really thought you knew me better than that.”

Eliot couldn’t bring himself to even look back at the man. Flores’s opinion had always mattered to Eliot, but in the moment he didn’t care. The feeling of someone questioning his self-control was beyond insulting. As Eliot was stalking down the street to where the team was staying, Quinn fell into step beside him. At the angry look on Eliot’s face, Quinn couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.

“Who upset you? Moreau or Flores?” Quinn asked.

“Believe it or not, it was Flores. Moreau was his usual cold self for the most part though he was concerned. Flores questioned who I am, who I’ve become,” Eliot said. “He implied that being near Damien again would possibly turn me into the man I was when I worked for him. It’s like he doesn’t know me.”

“And what is so wrong with being that man again if it saves your daughter? Or am I going to have to be your Huckleberry this time?” Quinn teased. Eliot snorted, thankful that the blonde hitter showed no sign of losing faith in him. 

“I know you and Chaos can handle what I was for Damien. But I can’t let Parker and Hardison see that side of me,” Eliot said. 

“It can’t be any harder than knowing you have a daughter with Damien Moreau. I think you under estimate how much they love you. Parker didn’t hesitate to fly here with you. I, for one, am very interested to see you with your daughter and Moreau. I never pegged you as being a family man,” Quinn said. Eliot stopped mid stride and turned to stare at the man he now considered to be one of his best friends. He thought about how quickly the team had surged into action; virtually unfazed by Eliot’s confession. He knew that they would be shocked but he had expected some level of disgust. Parker had hugged him, Hardison had made a crack about Eliot being too grumpy to be a parent, Chaos had chimed in about Moreau and Eliot actually being an old married couple when they fought, Quinn had given him a tight smile and clapped him on the back.

“I told Flores I still love Damien,” Eliot whispered, starting to walk again. Quinn nodded, his face solemn.

“That much is obvious without even seeing the two of you together. You are asking us to get Moreau out of The Tombs to help you when we all know you could handle a K & R easily,” Quinn said.

Eliot sucked in a deep breath and couldn’t help but smile a little. He was about to get his family back. Eliot wasn’t entirely sure that he was ready to work with Damien again. However, when he thought of the proof of life video he had gotten and it was all the motivation Eliot needed.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Damien had eventually stopped praying and lay quietly back on his cot. He was beyond exhausted and could barely see straight but there was no way to shut off his mind. For years he had told himself that loving someone was weakness but within two days of Jaqueline’s arrival at the villa, Damien had grown hopelessly attached to the little girl. Along with his love for Jaqueline, his love and respect had grown for Eliot. Before he even knew what was happening, Eliot had managed to draw up adoption papers and before long Jaqueline had become Jaqueline Spencer Moreau. Damien groaned quietly as he thought of the mess his perfect life had turned into. Damien let out a heavy sigh, trying to clear his mind to fall asleep. Unlike Eliot, Damien needed more than ninety minutes of sleep a day. He rolled onto his side and finally let the worry and exhaustion cause him to crash.

_Dream  
Damien frowned in his sleep at the sound of a little girls’ laughter. He opened his eyes and saw Eliot bouncing a small child up and down on his lap. They both looked absolutely overjoyed. Damien winced in annoyance as he got off the bed, making his way over to the pair._

_“What. Is. This. Spencer?” Damien growled, shoving his hands in his pockets. “You know damn well how I feel about children. They are like bombs.” Eliot chuckled while Jaqueline looked slightly intimidated._

_“Relax, her name is Jaqueline and she is not like a bomb. She is so well behaved that even Chapman likes her, and he doesn't like anybody,” Eliot said._

_Damien didn’t unclench his jaw but he took a seat on the couch near them. As Damien was opening his mouth to speak, Eliot’s phone rang. After a few moments of tense one word answers, Eliot got up, put Jaqueline in Damien’s lap and departed the room without further explanation. Damien awkwardly patted her on the head but did not remove the little girl from his lap._

_“Uh...where…where are you from?” Damien asked, uncomfortable with the silence. Jaqueline smiled at him._

_“France,” she cooed. “Where are you from? I’ve never heard an accent like yours before.” Damien couldn’t help but look surprised. Over the years, he had worked to soften his childhood accent and had somewhat taken on a mild San Lorenzian accent mixed with his native Croatian one. No one had ever commented on his slight accent before._

_“Croatia,” he replied. Jaqueline smiled and snuggled her nose into Damien’s chest. Her own father had never liked to be anywhere near her, though she had never been sure why._

_“What are you going to do with me since you don’t like me?” Jaqueline asked, her tone turning sad and her smile disappearing. Damien felt his heart strings twinge and he could see himself in her sad eyes. He remembered all too well what parental rejection felt like._

_“It’s not that I don’t like you, I just have never spent much time with children. I’m not going to send you away if you have nowhere to go. I am not so cruel,” Damien said, though he was more trying to convince himself rather than the child._

_Ever so slowly, Damien ran his fingers through her hair. He gently rocked her back and forth, smiling as her eyes fluttered shut. Damien hummed a lullaby his nanny had sung to him. Before he even knew what was happening, Damien as drifted off to sleep with the little girl asleep on his chest.  
End of Dream_

Quinn stood outside of Damien Moreau’s cell in shock. Even asleep and in prison, there was something very dangerous about the man. Never in his whole life had he expected to be in such close proximity to the man let alone about to work alongside him. As Quinn was lost in thought he barely had time to register the movement before he found himself face to face with Moreau.

“It is uncomfortable being stared at while I sleep, Mr. Quinn,” Damien purred. “Did Spencer send you to keep an eye on me?” Quinn scowled at Damien’s recognition of who he was. Eliot had warned him that Damien had a way of seemingly being clairvoyant but actually experiencing the man’s talent left a shiver to run down his spine.

“I am here to extract you where President Vittori agrees to it or not,” Quinn said.

“I see, well in that case I suppose I should play nice with you,” Damien said, moving away from the bars and sitting back down on his cot. “Tell me, how do you like working for the great Nathan Ford?” Quinn laughed at the man’s disgusted tone.

“He left the team before I joined. Eliot said I should make sure to mention that while Ford is no longer with the team, he may join us if things go south,” Quinn said, trying to show no fear. Damien narrowed his eyes and clenched his jaw so tightly it made his teeth hurt.

“If he gets involved and something happens to _my_ child I will hold him personally accountable,” Damien hissed.

Quinn could only shrug at the confession but had no idea what to say. He was sure Eliot knew about this particular threat. In a twisted way, the threat also showed just how much Moreau loved his daughter. Quinn looked back into the cell, but this time instead of seeing the infamous Damien Moreau, he saw a grieving father who was powerless to save his child. Suddenly he could see what Eliot loved about the man.

“Don’t worry, we will get her back and I promise I won’t let anything happen to her if Ford gets involved,” Quinn whispered. Damien looked up and the venomous glare was gone.

“Thank you,” he returned so quietly that Quinn almost thought he imagined it.  
****  
Parker, Hardison and Eliot stood in the office of the president. Vittori sat behind the desk with a look of horror on his face. Floes was clearly trying to mask his emotions from the team in front of him but Eliot could see right through the act. When Parker felt Eliot tense up she stepped in between them. She wanted to protect Eliot the way he had always protected her.

“So let me be clear, you want me to let him out of The Tombs to go on a rescues mission. How do I know he will come back to San Lorenzo? My guess is that as soon as he has his freedom, he will take it and run. If he is able to build himself up again the people of San Lorenzo would be in danger,” Vittori said, rubbing his hands over his face. When he looked up he saw the despair in Eliot’s face and eyes. Flores and Vittori exchanged a glance and they nodded once. “However, I understand why you are asking for his release. I want to put a tracker on Moreau before he leaves. I don’t want to put your daughter in any more danger, but I need the guarantee that he won’t just fall off the grid.” The relief that rushed over Eliot was so strong, that his knees buckled and he fell to the floor. Hardison knelt down next to Eliot.

“Do what you need, Vittori,” Eliot said, his eyes brimming with tears. “I just need Jaqueline back.” Vittori stood up and helped Eliot to his feet once he had come around to stand on the other side of the desk. He put his hands on Eliot’s shoulders.

“Are you sure the San Lorenzo military couldn’t help you instead?” Vittori asked, clearly still worried about making a deal for Moreau’s freedom, no matter how temporary that freedom would be. Eliot gave him a sad smile. He could not bring himself to be upset with the man. Even with a tracking chip implanted in Moreau, Eliot knew the man was still a very real and very serious threat to San Lorenzo and the world. 

“I understand your fear and I would be worried if you weren’t afraid. However, I don’t need an army to bring my daughter home,” Eliot said. “For this, I need my husband.”

No sooner had the words left his mouth, an icy fear and sickness spread through Eliot like an avalanche. He stumbled backwards into Hardison who stopped him from falling again. The tears were no longer just sitting in his eyes, but were now cascading openly down his cheeks and before he could register any of the shocked looks he was given, Eliot had cleared the floor of the office and was bolting towards the exit of the Parliament building. By the time he was outside, he was gasping for breath and sank down against the wall. Eliot was so wrapped up in his own thoughts and emotions that he didn’t notice Parker sit down next to him until she spoke. 

“Why didn’t you tell us you are married to him, El? It doesn’t change us wanting to help you find your daughter,” Parker whispered, bumping his shoulder with hers.

“Because we aren’t legally married so I didn’t think it mattered. I haven’t thought of him as that since the day I left him,” Eliot said. “We did everything together and before God and our little girl we said our private vows. Until now, only Chapman knew about that and our vow ceremony was a secret he took to his grave.” When Eliot looked over he saw that Parker was crying with him.

“Come back to the hotel with me. Colin is waiting for us. I’m sure Quinn and Hardison can handle Mor—Damien for now,” Parker said, deciding to call Moreau by his first name since he was technically Eliot's husband which in Parker's mind made him family by proxy. She slowly coaxed him off the ground. She was at a total loss for words and more than anything she wanted to beg Sophie for advice. But then Parker thought of the unwavering faith she had seen in the older woman’s eyes just before leaving. That look was enough to sustain Parker and give her the energy to guide Eliot to the taxi that would take them back to the hotel. Eliot had no idea what to expect from Damien when he was no longer behind bars. He couldn’t tell if his nerves were from anticipation, fear or a combination of the two.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait in between chapters! I've been having a bit of writer's block but hopefully everyone likes this chapter as much as the others (at least I hope everyone has liked the other chapters :D). I was feeling a bit angsty so I do apologize if it seems a little excessive.  
> Enjoy!

Chapter Four

Eliot and Parker sat next to each other on the couch. Eliot was simply staring straight ahead at the door while Parker was bouncing one leg up and down rapidly. Chaos was at the desk typing so fast that Eliot could swear he saw smoke coming from the keyboard. Just as the waiting was becoming unbearable, Damien walked through the suite doors, flanked by Quinn and Hardison. Eliot saw the army outside the door before Quinn snapped it shut, closing the men out.

“I can honestly say that I’m not a fan of Flores,” Quinn grumbled. Damien hummed in agreement. Eliot couldn’t help but notice that the two seemed to have taken quite a liking to one another which vastly improved his mood. 

Eliot stood and walked to Damien. They stood nose to nose for what felt like an eternity before Damien cupped Eliot’s face in his hands and then he dipped his head down, kissing him with such a fiery passion Eliot saw stars. Damien moved his arms around Eliot’s waist while Eliot wrapped his arms around Damien’s neck. They broke apart from their kiss but remained holding each other. Both were crying silently, afraid that if they let go of one another, they would lose everything. Damien let out a shaky breath. 

“Can I see the proof of life video?” Damien asked. Eliot drew out his phone to show him. Only he and Damien could see the video, but everyone in the room could hear the audio.

**”It’s okay daddy and papa. Its okay, I am not scared because I know you will find me. Papa, take care of daddy for me--”**

Jaqueline was cut off mid-sentence by a man slapping her across the facing, yelling for her to shut up. Then the screen went blank. Eliot quickly moved himself to support Damien’s weight. He had never seen such despair in his partner’s eyes before. Eliot began walking Damien over to the couch when Quinn came over and helped. Once they were seated, Eliot stood to get him a glass of water but was almost immediately pulled back down. Damien leaned his head against Eliot’s shoulder. The little color he had retained from his time in The Tombs drained from his face. He didn't want Eliot leaving his side. He desperately needed the man's incredible strength and stability. 

“They hit my baby,” Damien whimpered. Eliot was entirely focused on Moreau but the others just exchanged worried glances. This was hardly the man they had expected to encounter.

"For tonight Eliot, you and Damien rest in the room next door. The rest of us will start a trace on the video and analyze what we can,” Parker said.

Damien put his hands over his face. The sick feeling was only getting worse. He could feel his whole body shaking. He focused on his breathing and the feeling of Eliot carding his fingers through his hair. After a few moments, the shaking stopped and he felt confident enough that he could make it to the room he was to share with Eliot under his own steam. He didn’t say anything but he did nod in agreement. As soon as Damien was on his feet, Eliot was right behind him and they were out the door.

“I thought Damien Moreau was supposed to be terrifying,” Chaos retorted. “Granted I still feel bad for the guy but isn’t the point of having him around to scare everyone?” Quinn smacked Chaos on the back of the head. 

“You’re an idiot,” Quinn snapped.

“Look, right now he is just sad. Let him be sad!” Parker said. “Once he is out there and angry, you won’t want to be within 100 miles of him or Eliot. Just do your computer thingy.”

In the room next door, Damien sank down on the bed after pulling off his shoes. He let out a sigh of relief as the soft mattress wrapped around his body. He hugged a pillow to his chest and stared blankly at the opposite wall, his back to Eliot. He sat down on the bed and slung his arm over Damien’s waist. The only indication that the man was awake was the squeeze he gave Eliot’s arm. Nothing needed to be said between the two men. Their grief was slowly turning to anger, the fuel that would turn the small fire into a deadly and all-consuming blaze. Eliot snuggled his nose into Damien’s back and slowly began to drift off to sleep. Damien, on the other hand, was unable to actually sleep. He had thought that once he was out of The Tombs he would finally get a taste of freedom. However, even with Eliot wrapped around him like old times, it hadn’t been enough to make him feel free. It was in those earth shattering moments that Damien realized he would never be free until he took his last breath. A small and quiet sob left his mouth, waking Eliot. The younger man pushed himself up onto his elbow.

“What’s wrong, Damien?” Eliot asked, forcing him to roll onto his back. “Are you hurt?” Damien wanted to smile and say everything was okay but he couldn’t find the words.

“I thought I would feel some sort of relief being out of prison. But I still feel trapped. Now that the world knows who Damien Moreau is, I will always be a prisoner no matter where I go,” Damien whispered. Beside him, Damien felt Eliot tense up. Gently and ever so slowly, he kissed the hitter. “You may have put me in prison, but you’re a better husband than I deserve.”

"You can forgive me but not Nathan Ford? I would have thought my betrayal would be the worse,” Eliot said, moving slightly closer to him. Damien smirked. 

“I am annoyed that an insurance investigator turned thief managed to outsmart me and my operations,” Damien replied. Eliot gently began to card his fingers through Damien’s hair again. 

“I wish I could help set you free. I wish there was some way for you, me and Jaqueline to be a family again. As much as I needed to get away from all the killing, I spend every day regretting that I left the two of you. I was just turning into a man that I didn’t want to be,” Eliot said. Damien put his hand on Eliot’s cheek and ran his thumb over his husband’s soft skin. He gazed deep into his eyes.

“I am so sorry I ever asked you to kill those innocent families. I knew that you had a kind heart, and yet I let my cold heart cloud my better judgement. I hurt you and you aren’t supposed to hurt the people you love,” Damien said. “That is worse than only betrayal to me. Can you ever forgive me, El?” 

Eliot felt like he had been hit with a ton of bricks. Never in a million years had he expected to hear such words from the likes of Damien Moreau. Before he even registered what he was doing, Eliot had pulled Damien into a kiss that was long and deep. There was no sexual hint behind the kiss. It was simply an enormous outpour of emotions on the parts of both men. Upon breaking apart, they were both slightly out of breath.

“Damien, there is and never was anything to forgive. Yes, at first I was upset but from the moment I got those first letters and pictures, I knew you still loved me. From that moment on, I had forgiven you,” Eliot whispered. 

For a few beats, Damien could only stare at Eliot. Then more tears spilled out of his eyes before he started laughing. The sound was beautiful and rare music to Eliot’s ears. He wasn’t exactly sure why Damien was laughing but he was glad that it seemed to ease the tension.

“I don’t think I’ve ever cried so much in such a short period of time recently. It really is an odd feeling,” Damien chuckled, wiping his eyes and snuggling closer to Eliot. Prison really had seemed to have changed the man.

“If memory serves me correctly, I don’t ever remember seeing you cry before. When was the last time you truly cried?” Eliot asked. “And our wedding night doesn’t count.” Damien thought for a while as a lump formed in his chest. The memory was so vivid it was painful. Damien looked over at Eliot, sadness filling every inch of his lovely blue eyes. 

“The entire week you left. I was truly heart broken. Chapman was more of a parent to our daughter that week than I was. I know I should have been there for her but I stopped functioning. All I could do was cry. Chapman had to drag me out of bed if I needed the bathroom or a shower. Jaqueline begged me to eat but nothing I ate stayed down. I was pathetic,” Damien said. “Chapman ended up yelling at me for an hour about my daughter needing me and that I didn’t have time to wallow in self-pity. Needless to say, I actually saw him and Jaqueline cry and that got me moving again.” Eliot found himself surprised at the confession but he felt extremely close to his husband in that moment. 

“That first week was horrible for me too. Not only was I suffering from extreme separation anxiety I was locked in The Tombs and questioned for hours by Flores and his men. I never gave anything up but they tried their hardest. When they finally released me, I spent some time with the army but eventually being in San Lorenzo became too painful,” Eliot said. Damien nodded and his eyes began to flutter shut. Eliot smiled and wrapped his arms around the man. Sleep finally came.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Has Damien really changed?


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we meet Jaqueline!!

Chapter Five

Jaqueline sat on a worn out mattress. Even though the weather was warm, she had a tattered blanker wrapped tightly around her. She had tried to be brave for the proof of life video but in truth she had never been more scared in her life. Jaqueline wished more than anything that she was back in San Lorenzo sitting between her daddy and papa eating popcorn and watching a movie. Jaqueline knew in her heart that her parents were coming to get her, she just hoped it was sooner rather than later. Jaqueline closed her eyes and lay down on the mattress. Her captor didn’t give her much food or water and her energy was slowly draining from her body. She didn’t recognize her abductor but she knew he was Russian by his thick accent. The smells around her were Middle Eastern spices and she could hear Arabic being spoken. With her eyes closed she focused on every sound around her just like Papa had taught her. She could hear horns honking, people yelling, motorcycles, and scooters, children laughing, phones going off, sirens blaring and she heard one word repeated several times: Damascus. 

_Daddy has a house here,_ Jaqueline thought. The only problem was she had only been to that home once. Her other problem was, a blonde girl on the streets of Damascus would stick out like a sore thumb. But then again so would a large Russian man chasing after her.   
At that moment, the door to the room she was in opened roughly. Jaqueline opened her eyes but didn’t bother to get off the makeshift bed. She raised an eyebrow at him. One thing she had learned from both her parents was to show no fear. Eliot had always maintained that being afraid gave the attacker a reason to make a disposal even faster. Damien always added that having an overly cocky prisoner also could get someone killed quickly. Over the years, Jaqueline had developed a mix between stoicism, fear and confidence.

“Sit up. Your father ask for proof of life again,” the Russian said. Slowly she sat up knowing exactly what she was going to say. On the signal she started talking. 

“A house surrounded by sand in a foreign land. A house I have been to only once,” she said quickly in Croatian. The man moved the camera away and left the room. By now she hoped that Eliot was with Damien unless he had recently learned Croatian. After a few moments the man came back with a cup and a plate with bread and fruit on it. He handed it to her before sitting down on the floor across from her. Jaqueline narrowed her eyes at the man and the meal. She was feeling suddenly suspicious. The man chuckled.

“Food and water are not poisoned,” he said. Feeling only slightly better, she tucked in.   
“Why so nice today?” she asked.

“Because I do not like job,” he replied. “My boss is horrible man.” Jaqueline stopped mid bite.  
“You’re a sub-contractor,” Jaqueline said. “If he is such a bad man, why take the job?”

“Money, but now I get no money. He has sister now, my baby sister,” the man said. Jaqueline couldn’t help but feel a little bad for the man. 

“I’m Jaqueline. What’s your name?” she asked. At the personal interaction his face seemed to brighten ever so slightly. 

“Vladimir. So who are your parents? Are you diplomat’s child?" he questioned. Jaqueline’s face contorted in shock. She had always assumed her kidnapper knew who she was. Then again, her existence was not widely known. 

“No, my family is just very rich. Isn’t money why you grabbed me?” Jaqueline guessed.  
“Not money. In two hours, I text the name Ram’s Horn to your father’s phone. Finish food and leave plate by door. I have errand to run,” Vladimir said. He gave her a small smile before he stood to leave. When Jaqueline was done with her meal, she did as she was instructed before laying down and closing her eyes. At the moment the name Vladimir had said was escaping her but it had sounded very familiar. She hoped in sleep she would remember where she had heard it. 

_Dream  
Jaqueline was waiting outside the expansive villa for her father to come home from talking something or other over with President Ribera. He had been gone longer than he had said and she was bored out of her mind. Usually Chapman stayed behind and played chess with her, but today Damien had been adamant about Chapman coming with him. He had promised to let the private chef make anything she wanted which had made her happy and had somewhat made up for the fact that she was being left all alone. Soon the sleek black car pulled up and the two men got out. Damien smiled when he saw his daughter running over. She hugged her father and then Chapman. _

_“Go next week and make sure everything with Atherton and Ram’s Horn are in order. And make sure that Yasmin stops running her mouth. I am getting tired of Atherton asking me how to deal with her,” Damien instructed. Chapman nodded and walked away._

_“What’s Ram’s Horn, Daddy?” Jaqueline asked. Damien chuckled at her curiosity._

_“Work, baby dove.”_

Jaqueline was startled awake by someone slamming a door. Slowly she sat up, worried about what was going to happen. In her household, when a door slammed, it usually meant that someone was going to get hurt. She trembled a little and had to take a few deep breaths before her cool façade was back in place. However, when Vladimir entered the room, he seemed to be fairly calm, though he did have an air of annoyance about him. 

“We going to move soon. Boss wants to meet you. He say you are very important and can’t get sick,” Vladimir said. “He live in big hotel. I think you like, maybe.” He gave Jaqueline a hair band and black head scarf. A tear escaped down her cheek but she made short time of tying back her hair and securing the scarf.

“I don’t want to meet him. I want to go home. I miss my family,” Jaqueline whispered, standing.

“I’m sure you do. Do not run, please. Other guards for you are not so nice,” Vladimir said.

They started walking through the dingy flat and then into the hallway. Five other guards came up to them and boxed Jaqueline and Vladimir in the center of them. She moved closer to Vladimir, already sensing the threat from the other men. Down on the streets, Jaqueline flinched in the bright sun, but the fresh air felt amazing on her skin. People on the streets went out of their way to avoid the group of people. While no one tried to stop the group, they were not above staring. Jaqueline had never felt more alone and more exposed. She was soon ushered into a large black SUV which quickly pulled away from the curb. Jaqueline was sandwiched between Vladimir and another large man. The traffic in Damascus was horrible and the rocking of the constant stop and go eventually lulled Jaqueline to sleep. 

When she woke for the second time, she felt a soft and cool breeze blowing across her face, the breeze of an air conditioner. The pillows that surrounded her head were soft and extremely fluffy. There was also a fluffy comforter that was pulled up to her chin. She opened her eyes and had to blink a few times because her vision was blurry. Jaqueline coughed a few times but a water glass was put to her lips. The haze over her brain was the unmistakable feeling of being drugged. At long last the room came into focus but instead of seeing Vladimir, she saw a man standing over her that she had met one other time and an icy cold fear spread through her limbs. She couldn’t remember his name but she knew he was from North Korea. He sneered at her recognition.

“Hello baby Moreau.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this story is just going to have a lot of angst in it so I do apologize but at the moment I am very happy with the way it is turning out. I hope everyone is enjoying it!

Chapter Six 

Everyone had reunited the next evening upon Eliot’s request. He had received another video at his request that was a little less brutal than the first. Damien had told them that Jaqueline was referring to a property that he had taken her to once for business in Damascus. It was not a place that he had wanted to see again because there had been no good memories. Hardison and Chaos were going their best to trace the video to confirm the location. Damien and Parker were organizing plane tickets and passports. In the hotel bar, Quinn had dragged Eliot away for a beer. Quinn had taken notice of the looks Damien had been giving his best friend. In hopes of getting Eliot’s mind off the upcoming trip to Syria, Quinn was asking for details. 

“Eliot, I’m not asking for dirty details, I just want to know why the two of you seem more like newlyweds than you did yesterday,” Quinn said. “You, of all people, actually seem to be slightly relaxed. Why would that be?” Eliot glared at Quinn but wasn’t entirely surprised that Quinn had been the one to bring it up.   
“He and I talked things over. We admitted things to each other that have never been said out loud before. It was honestly like falling in love with him all over again,” Eliot said.

“That is honestly the sweetest thing I have ever heard,” Quinn said. “For what its worth, I really like Moreau, hell even Hardison was getting along with the man as best as he can.” 

“He has that effect on people. He is mesmerizing. Even now I am amazed by how he can charm everyone in a room with him. It makes him a damn good grifter,” Eliot said. 

Quinn looked around the bar. He knew the Army was still nearby but Quinn was more worried about anyone under cover. When he was satisfied that no one was paying attention to them, he pulled an envelope out of his jacket and handed it to his friend. Eliot was confused for a few moments, but then he looked at the passport. The passport had the name Sven Kasnic and Damien’s picture. All of the identity documents were flawless. It would most likely even fool the CIA.

“Quinn, how did you do this?” Eliot asked. It would take a major hack job to pull it off. His best friend could only smile at him.

“Your team did this for you. _We_ did this for you and your family. Hardison and Chaos are going to wipe you, Damien and Jaqueline from the grid. Geek squad is putting together two more identities for you and your daughter,” Quinn said. “You don’t have to take these if you don’t want them. We just want you to know how much we love you and how far we are willing to go for your family.” A tear slipped down Eliot’s face. He was more than touched by what the team had done. However, Eliot pushed the envelope back to Quinn. 

“I need to talk to Damien first. I’m not sure if he wants to be hunted on that scale. And even if he did, I can’t drag Jaqueline into a life like that. She knows what we do but we have always discouraged her from it,” Eliot said. Quinn nodded and tucked the envelope back into his suit jacket. As the two continued to sip their beers and chat idly, Flores walked up to the two men. Quinn glared at him but Eliot only gave him a weary glance. 

“Spencer, may I have a word with you?” Flores asked. Eliot clenched his jaw, still angry with the man but he knew he couldn’t stay mad forever. His history with the man ran too deep to let a rift form. 

“Quinn, go check in with Parker and make sure none of her plans involve any of us but her jumping off a building,” Eliot said. Quinn gave him a worried look but got up and left any way after finishing his beer. Flores took the vacant seat but didn’t order a drink.

“Look, Spencer, I’m sorry about earlier. I know you are not going to torture anyone. I should have never implied any such things. Spencer, I know you and I am willing to give you anything you need to save your daughter,” Flores said. A lump formed in Eliot’s throat. 

“I already know the answer but I need to ask. Is there any way you can let my husband go? For good? I need my family whole again. We have been separated and broken for too long. I want my baby to have both her parents together again,” Eliot whispered. Without realizing what he was doing, he grabbed onto Flores’s arm, tears beginning to slide down his cheeks. “I still feel so guilty for leaving her. I was only thinking about myself. As a parent you have to put the needs of your child first. I failed my daughter.” Flores put a gentle arm around Eliot’s shoulders, tears of his own forming. He thought for a few moments looking deep into his old friend’s eyes. It became clear very quickly that Eliot meant every word that he was saying. It also explained why Eliot had such a soft spot for kids and would go out of his way to protect them. 

“Let me see what I can do. There is a chance, if you were to remain in San Lorenzo he can live out of The Tombs. I would have to talk everything over with President Vittori. I can't guarantee he will get his villa back from Ribera but we could find you a nice house,” Flores said. 

"If this happens, Ribera will give the villa back. That is my baby's home. I will not continue to let it be defiled by a man who sells out another man for his home," Eliot said. Flores nodded once.

"Let me try to get it back first before you simply use force to banish him. Though it would give me great pleasure to see him living on the streets," the former general chuckled. Eliot was absolutely stunned. Flores was about to say more when he stopped with his mouth agape. Before Eliot could ask what was wrong, Eliot smelled Damien’s aftershave. He also felt the man’s strong chest behind him. Calm washed over Eliot and he leaned back into the man, a content sound leaving his mouth. A soft smile danced on Damien’s lips and he bend down, kissing him on the forehead. Flores was completely stunned by the interaction. 

“Is everything okay? When Quinn came back without you I got worried. He didn’t mention you were with Flores so I was afraid you were drinking alone. I’m sorry I interrupted,” Damien said. “Flores, thank you for letting me help El find our daughter.” 

“Of course and you are welcome to join us if you would like. I’m afraid I only know you by your crimes. I would love the chance to get to the you that Eliot knows,” Flores said. 

Damien squeezed Eliot’s shoulder, clearly asking Eliot if his continued presence would be okay. Eliot kissed him softly and sweetly, motioning for him to sit. Damien gazed at him with stars in his eyes. As he sat, he kept one hand rubbing circles on Eliot’s back. Flores continued to stare at the couple in amazement. He had never seen a couple more in love.

“So, Damien, what made you fall in love with Eliot? I know he can be very charming but I can see the way you look at him. It has to be a very deep reason,” Flores said. 

“His brutal honesty and his lack of fear for me. Everyone was always too scared of me to be around for long. Eliot was the first to stick around and actually loved me. He loved me even at my darkest, when I wasn’t sure I even wanted to live anymore,” Damien said. Eliot tensed up at the mention of that night. Flores started to open his mouth but Eliot quickly cut him off.

“I’m sorry, Flores. We have to go,” Eliot choked out. Flores could see the pain in Eliot’s and then the subsequent pain in Damien’s eyes when he realized that neither of them had ever spoken of the incident. The two managed to nod at Flores before quickly returning to their private room. Normally Parker would drop in to see them but not that evening. Everyone knew better when the two had such solemn looks on their faces. 

“Why would you bring that night up to him, Damien? Why would you talk about something that private?” Eliot asked. Damien looked beyond hurt at the harsh tone Eliot had adopted towards him. 

“Because with as close as you seem to be with Flores I thought he knew. But I guess this is just another example of me being your dirty little secret,” Damien snapped. “If you don’t keep me in the loop about what people do and do not know about our relationship, I will continue to embarrass you. Or would you rather I just keep my mouth shut and look pretty?” 

Eliot was stunned by the sudden outburst on the part of his partner. He hadn’t even stopped to think about the fact that Damien had been cut out of his life for so long. A pang of guilt surged to the surface. Eliot wanted to run to the man he had hurt so badly but he knew that option was not on the table. Damien was clearly past the breaking point and Eliot could visibly see him shaking in anger. Eliot desperately wanted to for the hurt, but he had no idea where to start. 

"Damien, I'm so sorry," Eliot whispered. His husband let out a small sob and sat down on the bed.

“I know you are, El. But sorry doesn’t include me in what you are thinking. I need to know because I refuse to be blindsided. I don’t care to spend my life walking around on eggshells. Our secret is out, the biggest one we ever hid. So why are we still acting like we were not huge and instrumental roles in each other’s lives?” Damien asked. “Are you ashamed that you saved my life that night?” Eliot couldn’t hide any longer, no matter how much he wanted to pretend like everything was okay. 

“I am not ashamed of what happened that night. But to be honest, I’ve never been so scared in my entire life and I don’t know how to tell people that there are things that scare the great Eliot Spencer,” Eliot said.   
Eliot moved to sit next to Damien on the bed and Damien accepted the company. They sat side by side for a while wondering where their lives would go from there. Damien took Eliot’s hand and squeezed it tightly. He leaned his head against his lover's shoulder, wondering how many more pieces of his soul would disappear to find Jaqueline. Eliot seemed to feel the weight of Damien’s thoughts, so he kissed the man’s forehead. 

“Thank you for at least trying to get along with Flores. I may have ruined the progress but not all hope is lost. Maybe we can continue the conversation again at some point,” Eliot said. Damien snorted in sheer amusement at the idea.

“Flores could personally hand me my freedom on a silver platter and my feelings wouldn’t change about him,” Damien said. “To me, he will always be the man who saved you when I could not; when I was the one who hurt you. That kind of pain and regret doesn’t heal even when given a thousand years.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reviews are lovely!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait on the new chapter!

Chapter Seven

Hardison paced around the team’s side of the hotel room, deeply agitated by the text message the kidnapper had sent. He had never been able to track down anyone even remotely connected with Ram’s Horn. There was no easy way to break the news to the parents, but now the fight was clearly personal for all parties involved. For a few moments, Hardison stopped pacing and was instead bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet. The second movement had Quinn so annoyed that he got off the couch and physically restrained the hacker. Chaos laughed at his rival’s misfortune while Parker chose to ignore everything that was going on around her while she worked her problem.

“Stop moving, Hardison. We are all tense enough without having to deal with you. When Eliot and Damien decide to join us, they need us clam. We cannot afford any mistakes,” Quin growled, not caring if he hurt the man’s feelings. “If you can’t calm down on your own, I will choke you out.” As Quinn let go of Hardison, he roughly threw him onto the couch. 

“All of that was just uncalled for, man. I’ve got asthmatic tendencies. Ya’ll need me so excuse you while I deal with this in my own way,” Hardison snapped, rearranging his clothing. 

“You have nothing to deal with. This is about my family. I don’t care how close you are to Eliot, you have no right to make this about your hurt feelings,” Damien said, as he and Eliot walked into the room.

“Parker, when were you going to tell us about the Ram’s Horn text?” Eliot asked, in no mood to engage in sarcastic banter with Hardison. 

“How in the hell do you know about that text? We have your phone! I know it ain’t because you have your earbud in, since we have that too!” Hardison exclaimed, pulling himself off the couch. 

“Dammit Hardison! First off, your name isn’t Parker so shut up. Second, Damien cloned my phone with his,” Eliot growled. Normally, Hardison would continue to bait Eliot. However, there was a surprising amount of heat and force behind Eliot’s words for once. Hardison knew better than to get in the hitter’s way when he was legitimately angry. Hardison narrowed his eyes at Damien. 

“You know, Moreau, this is your fault. Eliot is normally in a good mood. We would have been better off if someone had kill you a long time ago. How can you think that your daughter is better off to be around you?” Hardison asked. Pain flared up in Damien’s chest. He turned around to leave the room.

“I should have let you drown in that pool,” he hissed. Slowly he walked away. 

When Eliot tried to go after him Damien pushed him away. His eyes were welling up with tears and he felt more lost than he had in a long time. Damien walked into the bedroom he shared with Eliot. He went over to Eliot’s duffle bag and pulled out one of his husband’s shirts. He pressed it to his nose, relaxing slightly when the familiar cologne danced over his nose. He walked into the bathroom and locked himself in. He knew that most of the team could easily pick the lock but he still felt safest hiding in the small space. His whole body was trembling and as hard as he tried not to think about his darkest hour, Damien’s mind crossed into the world of nightmares.

Back with the team, all Eliot wanted to do was a scream at Hardison and maybe punch him a few times. However, there was no justification since Eliot had not shared certain things with his team; his family. Eliot could hardly blame Hardison for still not being over getting kicked into a pool while handcuffed to a chair. He could also see that his friend already felt guilty for what he had said. 

“Eliot, I’m sorry man. He still just makes me so angry,” Hardison said, shuffling his feet and staring at the ground. 

“I know you are but I’m sorry too. I’m trying to balance so many things right now. There are things you don’t know about me or Damien, things you wouldn’t find no matter how deep into the dark web you went. He hasn’t always been so cold and I haven’t always been so angry at the world. We were both hurt so bad one night that everything changed. The only good thing that came from the situation was we fell in love that night,” Eliot said. He motioned for everyone to sit down around him before he finally decided that if he continued to keep things from the team, someone would end up dead. 

_**Memory**  
Chapman was pounding on Damien’s study door. They had just gotten back from a rather disastrous job and Damien had barricaded himself inside his study. Normally Chapman wouldn’t have thought twice about it, but Eliot had nearly been killed taking two bullets for his boss. If he had jumped just a few more inches to the left, the bullets would have hit his heart and not his shoulder. Damien had managed to hold himself together until Eliot had split from the group to take care of his injuries. The moment it had just been Damien and Chapman in the back of the town car, the older man’s grief had begun to show through. As Moreau had made his way to his study, Chapman had sent a series of worried texts to Eliot, begging him to come to the villa from his safe house immediately. _

_“Moreau! Please open up. I just got a message from Eliot saying that he will be here in five minutes,” Chapman yelled through the doors. Just because they weren't locked didn't mean he was going to risk his life by barging in uninvited._

_“Go away Chapman!” Damien screamed in reply._

_No sooner had Chapman started pounding on the door again, Eliot came running down the large hallway. When Eliot saw the panicked look in his number two’s eyes, fear cascaded over his body. Nothing scared Chapman. Nothing was ever so terrifying that Chapman actually begged for Eliot’s help._

_“What is going on, Chapman?” Eliot asked. “You look like you’ve seen death.” Chapman leaned against the wall opposite the study doors._

_“You almost dying really did a number on him. As soon as you left the car he started to lose it. When we got here, he went straight to the study and slammed the door. I tried to get him to let me in but I got yelled at. I’m worried about Moreau. He has liquor and a gun in there which is a deadly combination in the state he is in. Moreau is blaming himself for you getting shot,” Chapman said. Eliot’s breath caught in his throat._

_Without thinking, Eliot ran into the study but did shut the door behind him. Eliot felt that this was going to get very personal very quickly and didn't want to chance any of his men seeing Damien in such a fragile state. Damien was sitting on his couch with his head in his hands, but Eliot was happy to see that there was no glass of scotch out and his gun was nowhere to be seen. However, the man before him looked completely exhausted. When he saw Eliot standing in front of him a new wave of tears came crashing over him. He could hardly believe that Eliot looked like he had never been shot._

_“This is all my fault. If I had stayed here like you said this never would have happened. A man like me deserves to be shot. I don’t deserve to live,” Damien whimpered. “I don’t want to live anymore.” Sheer and cold terror flashed through Eliot’s body. He knelt down and grabbed Damien’s hands._

_“You, Damien Moreau, are one of the most amazing men in the whole world. You are smart, funny, resourceful and damn talented. You have become my light and my life. I can’t...I **won’t** imagine my life without you,” Eliot said, not bothering to wipe away his own tears. “You can’t leave me, Damien. I need you. I love you!” Damien held on tightly to Eliot’s hands. _

_“How can you love a monster like me?” Damien asked. “This world would be better off without me in it. I came from a war torn country and yet I finance the wars now.”_

_“You once told me that behind every great fortune, there is a great crime. Well, in my opinion, behind your great crime, there is a great man. I need you to believe in yourself as much as I believe in you. If you are giving up your life, then you better make sure I have a grave next to yours because I will die of a broken heart,” Eliot said. “Please, Damien, stay with me. I am literally on my knees begging you to stay by my side.” Damien cried out in pain and slid forward, falling into Eliot’s arms. Eliot held onto him as tightly as he could, rocking him back and forth._

_“I love you too. Save me, Eliot. For once I don’t know what to do,” Damien whispered. Eliot nodded and began running his fingers through Damien’s hair._

_“Let’s get you into bed. We can watch TV and cuddle. I can show you just how much I love you. I will give Chapman and the other men a few days off; no work for anyone. Just time for us to be a couple in love and be normal,” Eliot said. When Eliot went to move Damien, the older man cried out as if he were in physical pain. Immediately, Eliot stopped moving and settled back down on the floor._

_“Just keep holding me and don’t let go,” Damien whispered. Eliot squeezed his eyes tightly and prayed that he would be able to put Damien back together._

Everyone just stared at Eliot. No one could believe what they had been told. Before anyone could stop Hardison, he was out of his seat and heading towards the bathroom in the room next door. He knocked softly on the door and much to his surprise, Damien answered. His cheeks were pink and stained with tears, Eliot’s shirt was being clutched tightly in his fingers and his whole body trembling. Before Damien knew what was happening, Hardison was wrapping his arms around him and hugged Damien as tight as he could.

“I didn’t mean what I said, Moreau. A child always needs their parent. I would have given anything for my parents to search for me the way you and Eliot are looking for Jaqueline,” Hardison said. Damien was completely caught off guard but gently patted him on the back. Moreau pulled away and frowned a little, unsure how to proceed with an apology of his own. 

“You know, I wasn’t trying to kill you in the pool that day,” Damien said. “Though I was a little insulted that you thought I would be fooled by that accent.” Hardison could help but roll his eyes. 

“That’s what Eliot said,” Hardison grumbled. 

“Which part?” Damien questioned, cocking his head to one side. 

“Both and don’t go flapping your lips about all this touchy feely crap,” Hardison said, pointing a warning finger at the man. Damien punched him lightly in the chest. 

“And if you ever bring it up, I will throw you in another pool,” Damien snapped.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry it took so long to post this chapter!! I have finally gotten rid of my writer's block...I hope. Enjoy!!

To avoid coming under any suspicion, the team had decided to fly commercial into Syria. Advertising that Damien Moreau still had his private jet and several sources of income was just asking for trouble. Unable to get the luxury he was used to, Damien had instead that they fly first class. Everyone already had their passports lined up, so Damien had become Sven Kasnic. He had expressed his gratitude towards Hardison but had given Chaos a weary glance. Damien wasn't entirely sure how he felt about the other hacker's attitude and he refused to acknowledge him by the name Chaos. It threw the whole team for a loop every time they heard the name Colin in place of Chaos. 

Now on the plane, Damien was settled comfortably between Eliot and Quinn. His head was resting on Eliot's shoulder who was absently stroking his husband's arm while quietly reading. Quinn, who was sitting in the isle seat, was only pretending to read while he was actually watching for anyone who seemed to stand out in a threatening manner. Parker was once again posing as a flight attendant while the hackers were monitoring the electrical system of the plane and trying to trace the last signal that had been attached to the proof of life video.

Damien took a hold of Eliot's hand. He was overly excited to be closer to having Jaqueline back with him but he was mainly nervous about how the whole ordeal was going to go down. Eliot turned his head slightly and kissed Damien on his forehead. 

"You are so tense you are shaking, Damien," Eliot said. Eliot wrapped an arm around his husband's waist and squeezed him lightly. "You know how you get when you are this tense. We don't need anyone other than the mark getting killed." Damien raised a skeptical eyebrow at Eliot.

"Time in the Tombs has shifted my perspective on how I react. Yes, I realize I am a little tightly wound at the moment but so are you. I can feel you thinking obsessively," Damien pointed out. "From the sound of it, Parker's plans are solid and that is something I am counting on. I refuse to have Nate Ford swoop in and attempt to save the day." Eliot could help the low chuckle that escaped his mouth.

"You need to get over the fact that an former insurance investigator took you down in a week," Eliot said. 

"Yes, and before that week he took out my smuggler, my hiding place for my money, and framed me for pathetic crimes that I would have no interest in committing," Damien snapped. Eliot paused for a few moments and considered what his husband had just revealed to him. He had always assumed Damien hated his team because they had taken him down when no one else had been able to do so. He had never considered that Damien was mad about the fact that he had been framed with someone else's sloppily covered up crimes. 

"Are you pissed because the world thinks the Italian's crimes are yours? Or because you got caught in general?" Eliot asked. Just as Damien was about to respond, Eliot cut him off. "Or is a combination of the two plus the fact that Ribera turned on you?" Damien growled slightly and closed his eyes.

"All of the above. How can the world honestly think I would be caught smuggling blood diamonds through someone like Alexander Moto and then not cover my tracks. He worked closely with the CIA. I would not open myself up to that kind of scrutiny and then simply leave myself exposed," Damien replied. 

"I should have known that it was the fact that your pride was hurt, you big baby," Eliot laughed. Damien groaned.

"I knew I should have kept my mouth shut," he replied. Damien turned up his face and his lips met with Eliot's. For a few moments, they discreetly lost themselves in the kiss. When they broke apart, Quinn was smirking but he knew better than to say anything.

At the front of the plane, Hardison's fingers were moving close to the speed of light. He had hacked into the plane's WiFi system and was trying to get a pinpoint location on Eliot's daughter. He had gotten within a two block radius of the last proof of life video that had been sent. Hardison couldn't help but think Jaqueline's captor was getting sloppy. The previous calls and videos had been nearly impossible to trace back to the source. Something felt off and he was worried that Jaqueline was going to pay the price.

"Is it just me or do these people just seem stupid all of a sudden?" Chaos asked. "Who goes to all this trouble to mask their location for so long and then suddenly they ping up with nearly an exact location for the girl. Maybe one of the goons sent this one instead of the mark." Hardison frowned. As much as he hated to agree with the other hacker, it was starting to look like Chaos was right. Hardison was just about to reply when Parker appeared next to him.

"What if someone is helping her?" Parker asked. "She could have made a friend." Chaos rolled his eyes.

"Someone related to Eliot and Moreau making friends? Fat chance," Chaos chuckled. Parker tilted her head to one side.

"Actually, I think there is a very good chance of that happening. From what I've heard she is very smart. The first thing she would try to do is make sure they don't kill her. If she were to make a personal connection with one of them she could possibly convince them to send up a signal as to where she is," Parker pointed out. "I will let her parents know. You know, it's weird having the parents we are helping be part of our team." Parker then waltzed back a few rows until she came to where Eliot, Quinn, and Damien were sitting. 

"You look like you have news, Parker," Eliot commented, confused by the large grin on her face. "What are you smiling at?" She giggled.

"You two are so cute!" Parker exclaimed. Damien turned a deep shade of red and sat up straight, fussing with his suit until it was all back in place. Eliot just rolled his eyes, used to Parker being so blunt about everything. "Oh, we also think that your daughter made friends with one of the men who kidnaped her. Hardison was able to trace the signal of the last proof of life video back to wherever they have her within two blocks." Damien narrowed his eyes.

"That isn't exactly good news. I don't want her making friends with these people," he grumbled. "She should know better than that." Eliot put a gentle hand on Damien's arm.

"It is always possible that whomever she has connected with isn't working for her captor willingly. You've done it yourself: threaten someone's family and you can get them to do just about anything," Eliot said.  
*  
Jaqueline sat in a rather large chair staring out at the city. Tears were silently streaming down her face. While she logically knew that she would be rescued at some point, she couldn't help but feel slightly hopeless. Even with her newfound friendship with Vladimir, all she wanted to do was go home. She hadn't seen either of her father's in several years and her heart was beginning to grow weary of an independent life. She missed the sense of security that came with having Damien Moreau as her father. Jaqueline had never felt exposed until now. Along with sadness, rage boiled up in her. She wanted to hurt whomever had taken her Daddy and Papa away from her. From what she had gathered from her last conversation with Chapman, the man who had put her Daddy in prison was the same man who employed her Papa as his hitter. One man would make an easier target when she was finally ready to go after him.

As she was staring out the window, she heard Vladimir enter the room. Jaqueline looked up at him and gave him a sad smile before returning her gaze to the window. Vladimir put a gentle hand on her head and patted her gently.

"You look so sad, little one. What is wrong?" Vladimir questioned. Jaqueline sighed a little.

"I just miss my family. I've been a prisoner longer than this little incident. You having no idea how terrible living with nuns can be," she replied. Her body guard nodded slowly. He felt sorry for the young girl and wished he could speed up the extraction with out endangering all their lives. He had attempted to get a message out to her father's but he wasn't a technical genius so he couldn't be sure that the SOS had been exectued correctly.

"And if I told you that I may have helped?" Vladimir asked. Jaqueline gave him a puzzled look.

"Wouldn't that put your family in danger?" She asked. 

"That is possible, but I do not think Kang will be alive for long. It is risk I am willing to take," he said. "I left signal for your Papa. I think he will get it." A bigger smile crossed her face and her heart actually lifted. She jumped out of her chair and threw herself into Vladimir's arms. She was just a little closer to being home.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for any mistakes I didn't catch in my editing. Enjoy!!

General Flores sat in a small winged arm chair in his study, staring into the fire. His mind was spinning at a million miles per hour. When Eliot had first left Moreau's service he had lived with the Flores family for s short period of time. Lawrence had thought he knew a great deal about the hitter, but now it seemed he didn't know the man at all. He was still having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that Eliot was married at all much less to Damien Moreau. In all the time they had spent together trying to figure out a way to stop Moreau from digging his hooks deeper into San Lorenzo, Eliot had given no hints as to what he was feeling. He had been so blank in his emotions that many of the men in the army had been suspicious of him. However, Eliot had never betrayed them. He had been loyal until the day he had left San Lorenzo. Lawrence ran his hand over his face and let out a small groan. He longed for the days of his youth when life had seemed so simple. Just thinking about everything that filled up his life was enough to exhausted him for several lifetimes. 

While he was slowly drowning in the swirling vortex of his mind, his wife Esperanza came into the room. She handed him a glass of water and sat down opposite him. There was a worried look on her face and it became clear to Lawrence that his obsessive nature was starting to wear down his family. He hadn't realized that he was starting to bring his work home with him again. It happened on occasion and it ramped up the tensions between him and his wife.

"I'm sorry," we're the first words out of his mouth before he took a refreshing gulp of the water. His wife sighed.

"I don't know what has you so worried but it can't be good for you. It has been many years since I have seen you in a state like this. Maybe you should not be advising the President. It is a very stressful position," Esperanza said. Lawrence gave her a sad look.

"I wish it were that easy, my love. My job with the President is not the cause of my distance lately," Lawrence said. "Eliot Spencer has returned." Esperanza's eyes grew wide and she put a hand over her mouth. She had always hoped that Eliot would stay away from San Lorenzo after he had severed his ties with Moreau. He was too sweet to get dragged back into the darkness that had once come so close to consuming him.

"Why? He put Moreau away. What reason would he have for coming back?" She questioned. "Unless he has finally betrayed you." Lawrence sighed, shaking his head.

"His daughter was taken in a kidnap and ransom job," he told his wife, avoiding looking her in the eye which only increased her suspicion about the situation.

"Eliot is one of the best retrieval specialists in the world. Why would he need the help of the San Lorenzo government for this job?" She countered before she stopped. "Wait, Eliot Spencer has a daughter. How did we not know about this? Was he afraid of Moreau finding her?" 

"He is in San Lorenzo because her other parent is Damien Moreau," Lawrence said. 

Esperanza opened and closed her mouth a few times in shock but no sound came out. It was clear that she was going to have just as much trouble processing the information as he was. Part of him was glad to no longer be holding such a heavy secret. Yet at the same time, he was partially afraid of how his wife would react. She had treated Eliot like her own son. He could only imagine that this would feel like betrayal.

"Eliot has a daughter with Moreau? How is that even possible?" Esperanza asked, tears starting to fill her eyes. On one hand she was glad that Eliot had a family. Especially after loosing the connection with his own father when he had left for the army. On the other hand, it was a total slap in the face that Eliot had not trusted her enough to tell her about his daughter. 

"Eliot said that her parents abandoned her in Russia while they were on holiday. She was from France. She was pretty much freezing to death in an alley way when he found her and brought her home to San Lorenzo. He didn't say much else about her. I think it is a painful subject. It doesn't seem like he has seen her since he left Moreau's service," Lawrence said. Real tears began to flow down Esperanza's cheeks.

"Of course it is painful. He hasn't seen his own father in nearly a decade and now he has done almost the same thing to his daughter. I can't say I blame him for leaving Moreau and I also know that he couldn't have taken her with him. He lived on the run for so many years before he found Nathan Ford," Esperanza replied. "How is Moreau involved in all of this? Were he and Eliot in a relationship or were they just acting separately as her parents?" Lawrence clenched his jaw as anger rose up in him. He felt like even though Eliot had turned over a new leaf, his allegiance would always lie with Moreau.

"They are married," he said softly. All color in Esperanza's face drained. A cry left her mouth and she doubled over as if she were in physical pain.

"How could he marry that monster? Doesn't he know what Moreau has done to the people of San Lorenzo?" She cried. "Eliot killed for Moreau and watched every terrible thing he every did. And still he married him? Do we even know the real Eliot Spencer?" 

"I think a better question is, do we even know the real Damien Moreau?" Lawrence said. Rage blazed through Esperanza's eyes and she slapped her husband as hard as she could across the face.

"How dare you! Have you forgotten so soon what he has done to this country? What he did to our family? And what he nearly did to you?" She yelled. "Don't bother coming to me until you have thought everything through and come to your senses."

Saying nothing more, she stormed from the room, slamming the door behind her. Lawrence felt his heart sink and knew that his wife had every reason to be angry. They had lost two sons to fighting Moreau's encroachment. Shortly after, his wife had nearly lost him. However, when Lawrence had seen the way that Moreau and Eliot looked at each other, doubts began to creep into his mind. He didn't think it was possible that Moreau was purely evil. Especially considering just how hard he was willing to fight for his little girl.

The next morning, a very stiff Flores made his way into the President's office. He had forgotten how horrible sleeping on the couch was. He was almost positive that he had dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep. He had spent nearly the entire night trying to think of a way to get Eliot's family back together. He knew the President would be hesitant to release someone like Damien Moreau from The Tombs, even if it were to mend a broken family. While it was clear that Damien had no intentions of leaving San Lorenzo, that had never stopped his criminal enterprises before. In the end, Flores had decided to speak with President Vittori to see if he could let Eliot and Jaqueline have Damien back as a permanent fixture in their lives. 

"General Flores! You do not look well. You should go home and rest!" Vittori exclaimed the moment he got a good look at his friend's, and trusted advisor's, exhausted face. Flores couldn't help but let out a dry chuckle.

"I need to speak with you more than I need to rest," he replied. "Right before he and his team left for Syria, Eliot made one final request to me." Vittori couldn't help the concerned look that crossed his face.

"I am afraid I already know what the request may be. Spencer wants me to release Moreau," Vittori guessed. When Flores winced, the President sighed. "You know I cannot allow that to happen. We worked so hard to put him in The Tombs and you know what the people would do if we, if I, released him. He is a very dangerous man. You should know that better than most people. Just because he may seem different around Eliot, does not mean he has changed." Flores put his face in his hands.

"Yes, I am very well aware of just how dangerous Moreau can be. I just can't stomach the fact that he is not allowed to see his daughter and see her grow up," he said.

"Of course he is allowed to see her. We would let her visit her father in The Tombs. It would be cruel to separate them. However, letting him live free just for his daughter isn't something I can do. He chose to be one of the worst criminals in the world. He set this fate himself and now he must live with the consequences," Vittori said, trying to hold his conviction. 

Seeing Flores so broken up about something made it very hard to say no. In the interest of the greater good, one child losing most of her contact with her father was an acceptable loss to the President. He wasn't willing to risk his people. Flores gave him a sharp nod before he straightened out his suit and headed to get a cup of coffee so he could face the long day ahead of him.

"I understand. Please forgive me for asking such a favor of you," Flores said. "Sometimes I think too much with my heart." Vittori gave him a sad smile.

"There is nothing to forgive. Thinking with your heart is what makes you such a great advisor. You have great compassion for people and if we were talking about anyone other than Damien Moreau, I would at least consider letting them go free," he said. 

No more was said on the matter for the rest of the day. Yet when Flores was not busy with his daily tasks of being the Advisor of Foreign Policy of San Lorenzo, he was trying to figure out away to break the news to Eliot. He had decided that he wouldn't tell his old friend the heartbreaking news until after there was confirmation that Jaqueline was safe. He didn't want to risk distracting either man. Both Moreau and Eliot needed their complete attention on the task at hand. Now the only thing left to do was figure out a way to apologize to his wife.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for any mistakes I missed. Enjoy!!

Damien lay curled up on his hotel bed with a soft blanket wrapped around him and his eyes shut tightly. He was trying to ward off the nausea that had hit him as soon as they had landed in Damascus. Actually being on site and in the same city as his daughter was bringing up a whole new set of emotions that he was not entirely prepared to deal with. Eliot had stayed in bed with him as long as possible before the team had called on his for support. They were scouting around the hotel to see if there were any hints of Jaqueline in the area. So far, the search had taken two days and they had come up empty. The original signal had only gotten them so close and Eliot was afraid that if they asked for another proof of life video so soon that their mark would become suspicious. 

Exhaling hard, Damien forced himself to sit up. He ran his fingers through his tousled hair before he decided that the ice bucket needed to be filled up. He was starting to get restless and just lying in bed, while it helped to ease his stomach, was starting to drive him insane. Grabbing the bucket and the room key card, Damien slipped on his workout sweat pants, a sweat jacket, and slippers before he departed the room. He figured the less he dressed up, the less likely it would be for someone to recognize him. 

The halls of the hotel were fairly quiet which didn't surprise him. It was one of the only luxury hotels in the city and he figured that only the very rich and powerful used it. The silence was an indicator that no one wanted people poking around. Finally, he found the room with the ice dispenser. He lined the bucket with the little bag and started to fill it up. Damien started to zone out until he heard heavy footsteps coming up on him. After spending so much time with Eliot he had learned to recognize certain "distinctive" traits. He couldn't identify the exact shoe by the sound, but they were definitely combat boots.

"Damien Moreau," a heavily Russian accented voice called from just a few feet away. Damien forced himself to concentrate on the ice falling from the machine. When his name was said again he stopped his task and turned around.

"I'm sorry but you're mistaken. I don't know who a Damien Moreau is but my name is Sven," he replied evenly, putting the lid back on his bucket and moving to return to his room. When he got even with the large Russian the man caught him in the chest.

"I've been wondering when we would finally meet, Sven," the man said. Damien flared up at the Russian.

"What makes you think I'm the person you have been wanting to meet," Damien replied, his voice starting to waver ever so slightly. He had many enemies and the last thing he needed was for something to interfere with his daughter's rescue. The Russian's eyes softened.

"Because Jaqueline talks about you all the time," he said in no more than a whispered. Damien clutched the bucket to his chest and forced his breathing to stay as steady as possible.

"How do you know that name?" He gasped. 

"I was contracted by Hwan Kang contracted me to grab your daughter from France and bring her to Syria. I am the one who sent the signal to you," he said. Damien felt his knees start to turn to jelly.

"Why would you expect me to trust you after what you have done to my family?" Damien asked.

"He threatened my family. I am not doing this for money," he replied. Damien softened ever so slightly, though he still felt very sick to his stomach.

"Is my daughter alright?" Damien asked.

"Yes, I would not let any harm come to her. She is in the pent house of this hotel. I saw you arrive other day. Don't worry, I am only one sent to look out for you. He does not know you are in hotel," the man said. "My name is Vladimir." Discreetly, he sleep Damien a burner phone. 

"And what do I do with this?" Damien asked.

"It is way for you to speak with Jaqueline. She give you all information you need to make plan. I think Kang wants to make deal," Vladimir replied. A snort left Damien.

"The deal only ends one way: with him buried six feet deep where no one will ever find his body," Damien growled.

"There is only one number in that phone," he said. "I must go."

Damien felt dead on his feet but he forced himself to calmly make his way back to the room. When he got back to the room, Eliot was waiting for him. Eliot gave him a small smile until it became apparent that something was off. Damien set the ice bucket on the dresser before he walked over to the bed and collapsed into his husband's arms.

"What's wrong? You look even worse than you did when I left earlier," Eliot said. He pulled Damien fully onto the bed and held him tightly. It didn't matter that the other man was taller than him, Eliot was bound and determined to be the protector he had been trained to be.

"A man named Vladimir found me in the hallway. He told me he was contracted to take Jaqueline from France and bring her here. The man who is behind this is Hwan Kang. He was the one who bought Ram's Horn before I knew it was destroyed," Damien explained softly. 

"So why did he approach you here?" Eliot asked. "That seems a little too easy."

"He said that they were holding her in the pent house of this hotel. Kang apparently likes luxury," Damien said. He pulled out the phone and flipped it open. It was an old school number pad for texting but it worked just fine. "Vladimir gave me this phone and said that Jaqueline had the phone of the only number programmed into this one." Eliot narrowed his eyes and took the phone from his husband.

"You and I both know that this is one of the easiest ways to catch someone. We so desperately want our daughter back that we are willing to accept that we are speaking to her," Eliot said. Damien groaned and nodded.

"I know. Try calling it rather than just a message. We would still need to be careful if we do get little dove on the phone. But at least we would know that she does have the phone," Damien pointed out. Eliot was quiet for a few moments as he thought through all of the possible consequences of what they were about to do. 

"Do you think Vladimir is a threat to Jaqueline?" Eliot questioned. "He did kidnap her but maybe we can lure him over to our side. It would be a lot less messy if he could just bring her to us." Damien shrugged.

"He said that his family was being threatened. He may only be willing to push Kang so far. He warned us that they were upstairs and I'm guessing he is the one who sent out that signal of where they were located," Damien said. "If it were me running this, I would have a put some of my security on Vladimir's family to keep him in check. If they don't here from Kang or if he gives a signal they are killed." 

A chill ran through Eliot. He suddenly had a flashback to the days that he had worked for Damien as his security. On more than one occasion he had been told to hold a family hostage until the K&R or other job was finished. During those times, Eliot had always held his breath. Those had been some of the most tense moments of his life. Many times, they had turned into the worst moments of his life. Yet at the end of the day, he had dragged his feet home and thrown himself into Damien's arms. Sometimes he had a hard time believing that the he was married to the man who sent him out to kill. 

There were two very different sides to Damien Moreau. On the one side, he was a vicious criminal who was ambitious almost to a fault. He didn't let anything get in his way and he had no problem getting his hands dirty. Eliot had seen him kill off a family when the security men would refuse the job, and then he would kill his own men. Those were the moments when Damien was to be feared. His anger burned hot and it did not die out quickly. On his other side, Damien was soft, gentle, and extremely romantic. Very few people saw this side and Damien did his best to hide it from the world. Often times he saw his love for his daughter and husband as a weakness.

"We can pass this message on to the team and see what they think. If there is a way that we can convince Vladimir to just bring us Jaqueline when Kang isn't looking we can avoid a possibility of her getting hurt," Eliot said. "The less attention we draw to ourselves, the easier the getaway will be." Damien lean up and kissed Eliot softly. They were so close to having their family whole again.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for any mistakes I have made! Enjoy!! If there is anything you would like to see in later chapters just comment and let me know! I am open to suggestions.

Chapter Twelve

Parker paced around in the suite she was sharing with Hardison next door to Eliot's room. Across the hall from them were Chaos and Quinn. She couldn't sit still now that the plan was so close to being put in place. Over and over she went over everything in her mind making sure that the plan, all of the plans, were solid. She was also trying to get the adrenaline flowing as much as possible. There was no time to back out at this point.

_We have to find Jaqueline and soon. If we don't Moreau will turn on us, killing everyone. Though he would probably let Eliot live. Once Moreau snaps, Eliot will for sure snap and turn on him. That leaves their daughter totally exposed and she will most likely die a horrible and painful death full of torture!_ Parker thought, her eyes growing wide. _Imagine the suffering!_ From the other side of the room, typing on his computers, Hardison gave her a funny look.

"Woman, if you don't stop pacing you're going to give me a nervous break down. All of this is scary enough, I don't need to worry about you freaking out," he said, pausing what he was doing. Parker stopped mid step and grinned over at her boyfriend. He was definitely the one thing in the world that was able to center her at the drop of a hat.

"Sorry, I just can't help thinking about what will happen if we fail here," she replied. Parker walked slowly over to Hardison before sitting down in his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he held her tightly, arms encircling her waist.

"I know you're worried about Eliot and to be honest, so am I. I've never seen him like this before," Hardison said. "If I had known he had a daughter I would have been keeping tabs on her to try and prevent this from happening." Parker sighed.

"Of course you would. You don't want to see the people you love get hurt. But Eliot is so afraid of getting hurt that it make sense that he would keep Jaqueline all to himself. That is the one part of his life that probably keeps him centered. It's like he told Sophie, the control he focuses on is within himself," Parker pointed out. "Just because he didn't tell us about her doesn't mean he loves us any less." Hardison nodded knowing that he had to put his hurt feelings to the side. In his heart, he knew that Eliot would never to do anything to hurt his team on purpose. It had taken Eliot five years before he had even mentioned his father and even in that moment, it had been like pulling teeth.

"You know, when we were working the Moscone case, I asked Eliot if he had ever been married," Hardison replied. Parker sat up, an amused grin on her face.

"What did he say about that?" She asked.

"He said that he never had but that he had come really close one time. Eliot said it was some girl from his high school, probably Aimee that we met during the horse job, but she ended up marrying someone else," Hardison explained. "When I asked what he did about that, he told me he liberated Croatia." Parker's amused look turned into a frown.

"Moreau is from Croatia," she replied softly. Hardison's head snapped up. "And technically he and Moreau aren't legally married so he didn't lie to you about that."

"Huh, I guess not. Though I can't say I blame him. I mean, we had only done a couple jobs together at that point. It's not like he would just open up and say he was married to Damien Moreau," Hardison said. "I never thought about how they met. I wonder if it was romantic or if it was in a fight." Parker shrugged.

"I would imagine they met during the war. Probably not the most romantic setting in the world," Parker replied, sliding off his lap and resuming her pacing, though not before she gave Hardison an apologetic look. He simply shrugged it off and went back to hacking into the hotel security feeds.

While Parker was busy pacing around the room, this time not quite as frantically, her phone started to ring. She pulled it out and raised one eye brow. She had no idea why General Flores would be calling her in the middle of the job. Parker let it ring a few times before she finally decided to answer it.

"Hello?" She asked hesitantly. 

"Parker, I'm glad I caught you. I was wondering how everything was going. I figured you had arrived in Syria by now," Flores.

"Yes," Parker said, her suspicion beginning to grow. "What do you want?" Flores cleared his throat in what seemed to be a nervous manner and then after a few moments of silence he sighed.

"I spoke with Vittori as Eliot requested. He was curious to know if there could be an exception made for letting Moreau out of the Tombs as long as he stayed in San Lorenzo. It would allow the whole family to remain together without him being a fugitive," Flores said, explaining Eliot's request rather than getting straight to the point.

"Let me guess, he said no and you are afraid to tell Eliot," Parker replied. From across the room, Hardison raised an eye brow at his girlfriend. She motioned him over and put the phone on speaker. "What exactly do you want me to do about it? You should be the one telling him."

"You know him better than I--" Parker shut off the phone in the middle of his sentence. She didn't want to hear Flores try to get out of something difficult. From what Eliot had told her about the man, he had been an extremely strong and fearless leader. The man she was seeing now was far from that. Parker couldn't help but wonder if guilt for what he hadn't been able to protect Eliot from was starting to catch up with him. Barging into the room unannounced, Chaos immediately set up his computer next to Hardisons' while Quinn gave Parker a suspicious look. 

"What was that phone call about? You don't seem very happy with whatever was said," Quinn said. Parker shrugged.

"I just feel bad for Eliot and Jaqueline. It looks like the only way that they can have Damien is to be fugitives or be content with prison visits. Flores says he was unable to convince Vittori to go through with the release of Damien and then seemed too afraid to tell Eliot himself," Parker replied. Quinn narrowed his eyes and growled a little.

"I bet Flores barely even tried. Vittori doesn't seem that hard to push into something. He still seems to think that Sophie is actually dead," Quinn grumbled. "She is terrible at being dead." Parker giggled.

"You know, Flores is an honest man. There is probably only so far he would push Vittori before he backed off. He isn't like us," Hardison pointed out. Quinn couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"That's the problem. Never send an honest man do to a criminal's job. We could easily convince Vittori to let Moreau out. Aren't all his assets still frozen? And he isn't asking to leave San Lorenzo," Quinn tried to reason. Chaos laughed.

"It's Damien Moreau. It is a well known fact that not everything of his was found. I'm guessing he hid the vast majority of his funds under his daughter's name or an alias he has for her," Chaos said. "The man is smart."

"I am going to knock your teeth out one of these days,” Quinn growled. Chaos laughed and simply turned back to what he was working on. Parker put a gentle hand on Quinn’s arm. She understood why the hacker set Quinn’s teeth on edge. Chaos was a master at getting under people's skin and knowing just what buttons to poke at. Parker gently tugged on Quinn's suit jacket and led him over to a corner of the room. 

“You should just tell Chaos how you feel,” Parker said. “It was hard when I first told Hardison. I said I was having feelings for pretzels.” Quinn narrowed his eyes.

“Parker, I think you are reading too much into my hostility. I just really don’t like him. He is one of the most annoying people on the planet and always has that smug little smirk on his face,” Quinn grumbled. Parker sighed and tried to run over everything Sophie had ever taught her about getting people to talk about feelings. Over the years, Parker had gotten a lot better at reading the various emotions people displayed.

“His smug smirk?” Parker repeated, hoping that she could get Quinn to slip if she kept repeating certain words.

“You know exactly what I’m talking about. That smug little smirk that makes his eyes twinkle and then he does that stupid, cute little laugh that is almost a giggle,” Quinn snapped in no more than a whisper.

“His eyes twinkle? His laugh is a cute giggle?” Park pointed out. “You _do_ like him.” Quinn's eyes widened and his cheeks tinted a deep shade of pink. Under his breath he growled a little.

"Damn it Parker!" He grumbled, turning on his heel and walking away. Both Chaos and Hardison gave the hitter a curious look.

"What's got your tinsel in a tangle, muscle man?" Chaos taunted, earning himself and icy glare.

"None of your business," he snapped, leaving the room. When Chaos only shrugged in response, Parker waltzed over to him and poked him rather hard in the shoulder. 

"You should go after him. It isn't good for him to bottle all his emotions up like that," Parker said. Chaos snorted.

"He would probably prefer someone other than me going after him," he replied. Using all her strength, Parker yanked him up out of his seat and shoved him out the door.

"Just go!" She all but yelled. Chaos smirked.

"Oh, I see what's going on here. You just want me gone so you can have some alone time with Hardison, hmmm?" He teased. All he was rewarded with was the door slamming in his face and the locking clicking into place afterwards.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it has taken so long to post this next chapter. Hopefully it's good!! Sorry for any mistakes I may have made!!

Chapter Thirteen

Jaqueline lay on her king size bed, trying not to cry. Vladimir had left her several hours ago on Kang's orders to sweep the building. The man seemed to be growing more and more suspicious the longer it took her parents to reveal themselves. A heavy sigh left her mouth when she sat upright quickly, remembering she had a burner phone that Vladimir had secretly acquired for her. Jaqueline didn't recognize the number that was listed for her Daddy but she was so desperate to hear his voice of reassurance that she was willing to take the risk. She dialed the number and waited.

_"Hello?"_ a southern accented voice answered. A soft cry left Jaqueline's mouth. 

"Papa!" She cried. "Where are you? Why haven't you come gotten me yet?" 

_"Jaqueline, baby! We are here just a few floors below you. We are trying to find a way to safely get you out,"_ Eliot said. _"Are you hurt?"_

"No one has hurt me since that first video they sent you. Kang seems intent on keeping me as healthy as possible. He said he isn't going to kill me but I'm scared he will snap and change his mind," Jaqueline said. "Can't I just run?" 

_"As easy as that sounds if you were caught there is a greater chance of you being hurt or killed. Stay put until we can guarantee that you will be safe,"_ Damien chimed in. _"Has he said anything about what he wants?"_

"Daddy! He wants his money back and to do business with you. Maybe you can set up a meeting with him and then Papa can get me out while he is distracted," Jaqueline suggested. Her heart was swelling with uncontrollable happiness just hearing the voices of her parents. At some point everything was going to be alright. She was especially happy to hear her Papa’s voice. It had been years since she had actually heard his voice. 

_"I am going to be with Daddy. My friend Parker might be able to get you out if you are willing to crawl through the air vents,"_ Eliot said. Jaqueline felt her eyes grow wide. Not only had she always wanted to try an escape through the ventilation system, it had been a lifelong dream of hers to meet _the_ Parker. 

"Can we jump off the balcony?" Jaqueline nearly squealed, her excitement getting the best of her.

_"No!"_ both Eliot and Damien exclaimed in unison.

_"Darling, it is bad enough that I have to let you crawl through the vents. I don't even want to think about you jumping off this hotel,"_ Damien groaned as he thought about all the ways an escape with Parker could end badly.

"Alright, fine," she grumbled. "But at some point Parker is going to take me BASE jumping. Maybe we can even go to Dubai. I heard she jumped off the Sky Spire once." There was a grunt on the other end of the line when Damien clearly punched Eliot in the arm for passing that story along to their daughter in one of his many letters.

_"We will discuss that later. Do you know if Kang is watching the security feeds in the hotel?"_ Eliot asked. Jaqueline thought for a few moments about everything that she had seen since she had gone exploring around the penthouse. She was just about to reply when the door to her bedroom started to open. She quickly hid the phone in her jacket pocket but didn't end the call. Jaqueline hoped that Vladimir would be the one coming to see her. However, she was sorely disappointed when Kang walked in.

"Baby Moreau, it has been a few days since I last spoke with you and I wanted to check in. So far it seems like your parents have abandoned you," he sneered. "Maybe they don't love you as much as you thought." Even though Jaqueline knew exactly where her parents were, the statement hurt. A lump formed in her throat and she swallowed hard, blinking furiously to keep the tears at bay. She didn't want to let Kang see just how much he was able to get to her.

"Think what you want, but I know they will come for me," she whispered. "They have to. They promised to never leave me." A few rogue tears managed to escape her eyes and slide down her cheeks.  
*  
Hearing Kang taunt their daughter on the other end of the phone was enough to light a fire in both Damien and Eliot. New waves of fury powered their motivation to get to their daughter. They could each hear the tears in their daughter's voice and each man was planning Kang's demise in very painful ways. When Jaqueline was able to return to the phone, her fathers could hear the sadness in her voice.

_"Daddy...Papa...are you still there?"_ Jaqueline asked, her voice small and timid. 

"We are baby. Just remember that no matter what that monster says, we are here and we are coming for you," Eliot replied. On the other end, Jaqueline sniffled and Eliot felt Damien tense up in an almost violent manner.

"We love you. Hang up the phone just in case Kang comes back in. I'm sure Vladimir will be back to see you soon," Damien urged. The last thing he wanted was to give her captor a reason to cause her harm.

_"I love you Daddy. I love you Papa,"_ Jaqueline whispered before the line clicked and there was nothing but silence. 

Damien and Eliot slumped back against the pillows, completely exhausted. Silently, they had come to the agreement that they would take some time to sleep and recover before they brought the information to the team. Damien hoped that he would be able to have further contact with Vladimir. He was sure that since the man was acting as security for both his daughter and Kang, he would have seen a lot more activity going on. If either Hardison or Chaos could spoof the security footage of the hotel, it would give them a leg up on getting Jaqueline without turning things into a total blood bath.  
*  
Quinn stood out on the small balcony off his room that evening letting the cool desert air blow through his hair. He had managed to shake Chaos from his tail eventually. He understood why Parker had sent the hacker after him but he had needed time to think. Quinn had always thought of himself as being a solitary man, enjoying the company of various beautiful men and women. However, seeing Eliot so happy with a family, made him wonder if he could have such a life. A few months before the team had headed to San Lorenzo for Eliot’s family, he had slowly begun to take interest in Chaos. The attraction had increased after a close call had nearly gotten the hacker killed. The adrenaline spike had forced feelings to the surface that Quinn had been stuffing down for a while. He had expected them to fade after the adrenaline had worn off. Yet the opposite had happened, his feelings had grown. Now he was in the middle of a job trying to stay focused and all he could think about was the annoying way Chaos smirked at him constantly. While he was busy staring off into the glowing city, Chaos appeared next to him.

“Whatcha lookin at?” Chaos asked, disrupting the contemplative silence that Quinn had been reveling in. Quinn sucked in a deep breath to avoid growling at the man.

“Nothing really. This is just so different than where I’m from,”Quinn replied softly. Chaos tilted his head to the side. For some reason, the hitter seemed to be slightly more open than usual.

“Where is it that you come from?” he asked. Quinn looked over at him with one eyebrow raised.

“Why exactly are you asking?” Quinn replied. “Are you planning on trying to find out what my life was like before I was a hitter?” Chaos shrugged.

“I hadn’t thought that far ahead. I was just curious. This is different than what I’m used to as well. I grew up in a suburb of Phoenix, Arizona,” Chaos said, offering up his history first. “I tried theater club for a while but eventually I joined the computer club and took to hacking.”

“Theater? I can’t see you acting. Were you ever a main character?” Quinn questioned. Chaos couldn’t help but chuckle.

“I played Peter Pan,” he mumbled, his cheeks turning slightly red. Quinn cleared his throat and shifted his stance, his plants growing tighter as he imagined Chaos in tights and a short little tunic.

“That’s...interesting,” Quinn said. “I grew up in a tiny town in Wisconsin. I worked on a dairy farm but like Eliot, I had to get out of there. I was going crazy just trying to act like I was interested in the dairy cow business.”

“Did you join the military?” Chaos asked. A warm breeze whipped through the air and Chaos shuddered involuntarily. He wasn’t actually cold but it was an automatic response. Without warning, Quinn moved closer and wrapped an arm around the hacker who immediately stilled.

“No, I actually ended up going to college and worked for a while as a lobbyist in DC. I picked up martial arts there and then did some subcontracting for a couple PMC’s,” Quinn replied. “I was never very good at sitting still so it was good to get a change of pace.” Chaos nearly doubled over laughing.

"A lobbyist? Wow, that is definitely something to keep in the blackmail drawer," he chuckled. Quinn snorted, but enjoyed when Chaos leaned into him.

"Shut up," he growled. Chaos continued to chuckle but Quinn was getting less and less annoyed by it. He gently leaned down and kissed the hacker on the head, earning a soft whine. 

"What was that for?" Chaos asked in a breathy whisper. 

"Because I wanted to," Quinn replied. Chaos looked up to respond but never got a word out before Quinn's mouth was over his. 

Chaos turned so his front was flush against the hitter's strong frame. He wrapped his arms around Quinn's neck and pressed his lips to Quinn’s mouth. Ever so slowly, Quinn guided them back towards the bed closest to the balcony inside. Chaos felt himself get picked up before he was deposited on the bed, Quinn crawling up his body. Their lips met again and Chaos whimpered, opening his mouth immediately when Quinn nipped at his lower lip. They continued to kiss for a few more moments before Quinn gently rolled off the hacker and curled up next to him, wrapping an arm around Chaos’s waist. 

“I have to say that was totally unexpected,” Chaos said. Quinn couldn't help but chuckle.

“Parker told me I should just go for it. She told me to express my feelings,” Quinn mumbled, tucking his nose into the crook of the other man’s neck. Chaos hummed in appreciation.

“I should remember to thank her tomorrow,” he replied, before both men slowly drifted off to sleep.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

The next morning, Damien and Eliot rejoined the team. After speaking with their daughter and Vladimir again, they had a better idea of what they were walking into. All together, they would put a plan in place before contacting Kang for the meet. Eliot was planning on requesting that Jaqueline not be involved other than proving she was alive and unharmed.On the off chance that something went wrong, he didn’t want his daughter seeing all the carnage that would unfold, nor did he want her to become collateral damage. It was one thing for her to know what he and Damien did in theory, it was something entirely different if she saw the violence first hand. 

When Damien and Eliot entered the room, all eyes turned to them. It was as if the whole room were holding their breath. The team could see just how tense the two men were and the tension spread.There was one opportunity for the exchange and Jaqueline’s escape. Beyond that, there wasn’t much hope for making it out of Syria alive.

“Any news?” Parker asked softly. She was sitting curled up next to Hardison. It was clear that she was doing everything in her power not to pace around the room.

“Jaqueline is in this building. She is in the penthouse suite with a man named Hwan Kang. He is a counterfeiter out of North Korea and was the original buyer of Ram’s Horn,” Damien reiterated. “He is dangerous and likes to hire fairly ruthless men, though you all survived my security team which means you should do just fine. Plus we have Eliot, Quinn, and myself.” Eliot stepped forward.

“Damien and I are planning to meet with Kang alone. We will request to see her once before she is returned to the room he has her stashed in. Parker, we want you to get her out through the vents and quietly as possible,” Eliot said. “Hardison and Chaos you will monitor and spoof the video feeds so we have control over the hotel. And Quinn, we are requesting that you come with us as back up. We do have help on the inside, his name is Vladimir and he was assigned to be Jaqueline’s personal security while she is being held captive.” There was a tense silence as everyone in the room mulled over the plan.

“How do we know we can trust this Vladimir guy?” Quinn asked. “Isn’t he working for Kang?” Damien and Eliot exchanged glances.

“So far he has proven himself loyal to Jaqueline and was the one who left of the trail here. However, his own family is being threatened by Kang so that does increase the chance of him turning on us,” Damien said. “I’m half tempted to prod Kang into extinguishing the family so Vladimir has a real reason to turn on him. However, Eliot had thrown out that idea so we just have to keep a close eye on the situation.” Quinn clenched his jaw but understood the reasoning behind Eliot wanting to keep the death toll to a minimum. Parker popped out of her seat and walked to stand in front of the group.

“Okay, so here is the plan I have. Hardison and Chaos, I want you to be in control of the hotel computers and security before anyone goes up to the penthouse. I don’t want them surprising us in anyway. Once that is done, Quinn, Damien, and Eliot will get on the elevator along with myself. I will get out one floor below the penthouse and use the stairs to get up to the top floor. When you engage Kang and are let in, I will crawl through the duct system to the back room where it has been indicated that Jaqueline is being held,” Parker started. “I will wait to do to anything until she is returned to the room and secured, hopefully no one stays in the room to watch her.”

“And what happens if they leave a guard with her?” Damien growled. Parker gave him a cheerful smile. 

“I tase them!” she said happily. “After I get Jaqueline out and we are secure in our room below I will let you know over the coms. That will be your signal to wrap up the distraction. Hardison and Chaos, can you control the video feeds from the rental Lucille? We will need a getaway car.”

“Of course, we have it all set up. I just see one little flaw in your plan. When they go to retrieve Jaqueline, they will realize she has already been sprung,” Chaos pointed out.

“Actually I already informed Parker of Kang’s habits. He is rather fond of using the dead drop system. This meeting is for proof of life and negotiations. He will then set up a place and time for Jaqueline to be waiting for us once I transfer the funds or give him whatever it is he wants. When Vladimir escorts us down from the suite, he will just leave with us in the getaway car,” Eliot said. “It everything works out the way it should, we'll be halfway to the tarmac before he notices his hostage has been taken.”

“And if things go sideways?” Hardison asked quietly. “I’d hate for us to use plan M.”

“We leave no survivors,” Damien hissed. “No matter what plan we use, if things go bad everyone on Kang’s side dies.”

“I guess that means in Moreau’s plan M you don’t die,” Chaos laughed. “Too bad.” 

There was a smattering of nervous laughter before the room fell silent again. Damien wrapped an arm around Eliot’s shoulder and leaned heavily on his partner, sinking onto one of the couches. He pulled out the burner phone and found the number Vladimir had given him earlier that day. Sucking in a deep breath, he made the call.

_Kang,_ came the short and hostile answer.

“Good, we can get down to business. I think it is time you and I have a little chat, face to face,” Damien drawled, his trademark icy tone chilling the air. There was a dark chuckle on the other end of the line.

_I was starting to think you were going to leave your daughter in my hands,_ Kang taunted.

“You should have known better than to grab her. I always take back what is mine,” Damien snarled. “Nothing will save you from the punishment you deserve for this. Not even me being locked in the Tombs.”

_I had a feeling you would say something along those lines so I have laid in a backup plan. If anything should happen to me during our meeting, you will have the pleasure of watching your daughter be executed. You will finally know what all of your victim’s families have felt,_ Kang replied. All the color drained from Damien’s face and Eliot had to hold him upright even though the couple was already sitting down. Eliot felt sick as well but he could tell that Damien needed him to be the strong one between them which was rare.

“When do we meet?” Damien said. “Clearly I am at your mercy.”

_Tomorrow. 9am. Don’t be late, Moreau. If you are, your daughter will pay the price,_ Kang snapped before the line went dead.

Hands shaking, Damien dropped the phone and all but curled up into Eliot. Nothing in his life had ever been so draining. It took every ounce of strength that he had in him to keep going. Eliot, as always, seem unbreakable which was exactly what Damien needed. He had spent his entire life putting up a mask and now that it was cracking, he decided to let the guise fall. Damien was beyond exhausted. He didn’t want to be Damien Moreau anymore. He wanted to be just Damien. A man who took care of his family and didn’t have to worry about his daughter being killed.

While Damien was lost in thought, he didn’t notice Parker drop down next to him. She put a gentle hand on his arm and squeezed. He attempted to give her a soft smile but found he had very little energy left, but the thief seemed content as the situation was. For a few moments, she kept a steadying hand on him until he found the courage to sit up again.

“I think we should all rest for the afternoon. Tomorrow is going to be a long day and we need to be as focused as possible. Eliot, Damien, if you need anything from us don’t hesitate to call. I would leave Vladimir in the dark just in case he is playing both sides. We need this to go as smoothly as possible,” Parker instructed. The team agreed silently as though the exhaustion that Jaqueline’s parents felt was settling down on everyone else as well.

Damien and Eliot nodded simultaneously and then stood from the couch. They were hanging on tightly to each other and it was almost disturbing to see two such strong men so defeated. Parker moved over and clung to Hardison, tears brimming up in her eyes. She hated to see Eliot so close to being broken.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is about Jaqueline and her abductor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait!! Enjoy!!
> 
> The bolded conversation between Valdimir and Jaqueline is indicating that they are speaking in Russian.

Jaqueline sat at a large glass table with a huge breakfast set before her. However, she refused to eat anything. Her abductor sat across from her, staring at her in obvious fascination. While she was not biologically related to either Eliot Spencer or Damien Moreau, she greatly resembled both men.

“Why are you not eating? Do you not like the food?” the man asked. "I can have something else made for you."

“I don’t really feel like taking charity from a man who is using me for leverage, revenge or whatever it is you are going to do with me,” Jaqueline snapped. “I would rather die of starvation.” Her contempt for the man was growing by the second. She was at least glad for the fact that Vladimir was kept as her guard around the pent house suite. She was using him to practice her Russian. As she was glaring at her food, Vladimir came over and put a gentle hand on her shoulder.

**“You need to eat and keep up your strength. If you are sick, your parents will be more worried about you and any distraction could get them kill or injured,”** Vladimir said.

**“But I don’t want to give this man any satisfaction in breaking down,”** Jaqueline said, nonetheless picking up her fork. Her captor glared at the two but didn’t say anything since Jaqueline began to eat.

“Bonding with your kidnapper is not something I expected from you, baby Moreau,” the man sneered. Jaqueline snorted, enjoying the bacon.

“I am not bonding with my kidnaper. I am bonding with _your_ subcontractor,” Jaqueline taunted in perfect Korean. “I know who you are, Hwan Kang.” The man raised an eye brow, unable to contain his surprise.

“You’re smart for your age,” Hwan said.

“What are you going to do to me? Are you going to kill me?” Jaqueline asked, putting her fork down. She was done playing games, and if Hwan was going to kill her, she wanted to start mentally preparing herself. The man sneered at her.

“I am not like either of your fathers, baby Moreau. I do not kill children. I am using you for leverage. As soon as I am paid the money I am owed, I am going to return you to them. Damien Moreau is a man who I would love to do business with again,” Hwan said. Jaqueline laughed softly, part in amusement and part in relief.

“You kidnapped his daughter. He has done some low and awful things in his life but doing business with you again seems out of character, even for him. And my name is Jaqueline. Why do you keep calling me baby Moreau?” she grumbled, letting out a soft sigh.

In reality, Jaqueline would hardly be surprised if her daddy went ahead and did business with Kang even after her abduction. From what she knew of him, he was a very good smuggler and counterfeiter. He was also one of the best at K&R. Jaqueline knew her Daddy wasn’t going to stick his neck out for John Douglas Keller ever again.

“Because that's who you are, or rather what you are. Honestly, you should be flattered. In our world that name is like addressing you as your Highness,” Hwan mocked. Jaqueline rolled her eyes before she loaded up her plate with more food and stood up.

“Well, baby Moreau is going to her room to watch a movie. Hanging out with you is boring,” Jaqueline snapped. When she left, her faithful body guard Vladimir was right behind her, glaring at Kang as well.

When Jaqueline got to her room, she sat at the small table and Vladimir sat across her from. She flipped on the TV to search for something to watch but she could feel Vladimir’s eyes on her. Upon looking at the man, she saw a concerned look in his gaze. Sadness washed over her. Whenever people learned who her family was, they ran for the hills. In San Lorenzo, the fear had become so great the dean of the school had asked Damien to remove her from classes at the school. From the fourth grade on, Damien had been forced to homeschool their daughter. The only friend she had was Chapman and she was still mourning his loss.

**“Are you upset?”** Jaqueline whispered. Vladimir chuckled.

**“Of course not. I am just surprise that your father is Damien Moreau. Who is your other father?”** Vladimir said. **“I’m actually surprised in general that Moreau has a child. He isn’t what I would call the parent type.”** Jaqueline smiled. Maybe after the whole ordeal was over, her parents would agree to let Vladimir stay on as her personal bodyguard. He clearly had no interest in harming her. 

**“Eliot Spencer is Papa and Damien is Daddy,”** Jaqueline said, bemeaning with pride. Vladimir let out a low whistle.

**“Kang is an idiot. He is bringing a firestorm to his door. Your daddy is going to kill him and take you back. Even he will not agree to work with him again,”** Vladimir said. Jaqueline smiled.

**“Even if he does, my feelings won’t be hurt. I know it is just business,”** Jaqueline said. **“Would you like to work for him by being _my_ security? My former security was killed by my Papa.”**

**“You’re talking about Chapman. I ran into him a couple times. Damn good at getting information out of people. He and I worked together some. He talked about you a lot, though he never called you by name. He really did love you. He called you his baby dove,”** Vladimir said. Jaqueline was positively beaming.

**“He could be as asshole, especially to Papa, but I loved him too. He was my only friend because everyone was too scared of Daddy and Papa,”** she said, settling on watching a Disney movie.

**“Well your Daddy is not so scary to me but I have no plans on taking on Spencer. He _is_ the best at what he does,” Vladimir said. **“How many languages do you know? I’ve already counted three.”****

****“I was taught English and French when I was very young because my father was from England and my mother was from France. Where I grew up after Papa took me in, people spoke Italian and Spanish was easy to learn after that. Daddy taught me Croatian because that is his first language. My tutors taught me Russian, Arabic, Farsi and Korean,”** Jaqueline said. **“Both of my parents are very intelligent so I spent all of my time reading all the books I could find. The nuns were also big on education. I guess in my case being homeschool paid off. I’m twelve and way beyond other kids my age.”** Vladimir nodded.**

****“I would venture a guess that you are naturally very gifted as well,”** he replied.**

**Outside on the terrace, Hwan was staring out over the city of Damascus. The people of Syria had more pressing matters than someone like Damien Moreau. It was why Hwan had chosen the country. He did not want the man getting caught and detained. He wanted his money and to offer Moreau a new business partnership. Part of him was sad that he would have to return the girl, she was exceptionally talented. However, the strong arm move against Moreau and Spencer was a risky move, and it was one that Hwan wasn’t sure he was going to live through.**

**Hwan knew all too well that both men lived up to their ruthless reputations. Ram’s Horn was proof enough for that. Hwan may have only been a smuggler but an EMP bomb would have made certain that no one messed with him or his business. He was bitter and angry that he had lost out on the bomb as well as the seven million dollars he had spent. Hwan had been warned about dealings with Moreau. While he was widely known for holding up his deals, but if something went wrong, he was nowhere to be seen and no one was stupid enough to ever challenge Moreau. Hwan Kang planned on changing all that.**


End file.
